Who Founded Fly ORKA
The backstory of Adriana, Co-Founder of Fly ORKA, Inc.
“I went into aviation wanting to take part in advancing technology as a test pilot, without realizing that the very human abilities that enable technology, innovation, and advancement would tag me as a whistleblower and push my career back. It didn’t matter how many regulations existed or whether a governing entity stood for safety—I saw airplanes going into service with safety issues.”
“In parallel, I experienced a similar landscape during my initial pilot training, encountering flight schools more focused on selling training than teaching.”
“It is daunting to navigate an environment that doesn’t serve you. When something drains you or makes you sick, you have a choice to change what you are doing. Perpetuating a toxic and outdated system that primarily benefits those who create its toxicity is a choice.”
“Those experiences shifted my interest from aircraft development to pilot training and aviation education—the last line of defense when it comes to flight safety.”
How would you describe yourself? “I am an engineer and flight instructor by training, and an entrepreneur and flyer at heart. I’ve always wanted to make things better. Before Fly ORKA, people knew me as the Luscombe Lady, teaching tailwheel flying in Luscombe aircraft. As a flyer, I’ve been lucky to grow as a soaring pilot, experiencing what’s possible with thermal, ridge, and wave lift.”
Can you narrate how Fly ORKA got started? “So I was this aerospace engineer pushed out of my selected field of interest and into something else. Meanwhile, I was experiencing harassment in flight training. Over the next two years, my energy drained to the floor. I became very ill and couldn’t believe I had lost the strength to even get out of bed. I was burned out. Lying there one morning, I recalled the energy I had when I first started my aviation journey and decided that if I ever recovered, I would make my life count. During those tough times, I was blessed to discover an amazing aviation community nearby, who helped me cope.”
“When I finally felt strong again, an idea hit me: to create something in service to those who love aviation, to enable them to achieve their maximum potential in a safe environment, make their unique contribution to aviation, and protect the grassroots of aviation.”
“By this point, I had seen everything in the pilot training landscape and aircraft certification processes that was not only compromising aviation safety but also the success of those who chose aviation as their path. I was 29 and ready to take responsibility, so I decided to put my strength and resources into building a safe ecosystem—where pilots in training wouldn’t have to go through what I did. Where they could feel energized and live up to their aspirations.”
“From all of that, Fly ORKA was eventually born—ORKA is a Swedish word that means having energy and strength to do.”
“The concept was ambitious. To build it, I needed a strong technical co-founder and a world-class team of software engineers. I wasn’t into software, but I knew an entrepreneur in aviation who introduced me to a program that led me to find my co-founder, Hyunuk Jung, who built a great technical team.”
“There is this big problem that needs solving, and our solution is ready to be useful, and have a lasting impact in flight training, aviation safety, but above all our aviation community.”
“I know that nobody cares more than we do.”
How did they do? Download the Fly ORKA app and message Adriana.