While most of the world’s venture capital is off chasing anything with “AI” in the name in what many think looks increasingly like an inflated spherical film of soap molecules, in aviation all the hot money is betting on eVTOL: electric vertical take off and landing.

What if you want to get in on the eVTOL game but don’t have (or want) billionaire backing? Long-time contributor [spiritplumber] demonstrates how to do it on the cheap, with a low-cost quadcopter and a foam wing called Lift5. 

Most eVTOL isn’t just quadcopters, after all — multirotors are great for playing with in the back yard, but their thrust-based lift makes for short range, and the engine-out options are all bad. Add a wing, and you can get that sweet, sweet dynamic lift. Add an extra, forward facing motor, and you can get thrust in the direction you need it most. That’s what [spiritplumber] is doing here: strapping a foam wing to a cheap quadcopter. Specifically, his custom frame for an Eiele F120 drone kit.You can see it in action in the demo video embedded below.

The wing and its forward thrust motor are equipped with its own speed controller, so the concept should be adaptable to just about any little drone. Quadcopter flight computers are mostly going to be able to compensate for the added lift and thrust automatically, which is neat, considering that these forces would require some bizarre headwind/updraft very unlikely to be found in nature.

Now the wing does add a lot of drag during the lift phase, to be sure, so [spiritplumber] is working on folding or tilting it out of the way, but that version is apparently inordinately fond of trees. Once the control issues are worked out you’ll likely see it on his site and YouTube channel Robots Everywhere.

[spiritplumber] has been contributing hacks here at least since 2009, when he showed us how to make a Macbook right click.

Unlimited holidays? Does that mean you can be on holiday every day? And still get paid for it? Well, not quite. 

Today, we’re speaking to Director of Dynamic Search Solutions, John Marks. We’re asking him about his decision to introduce unlimited holidays for the Dynamic team, and what unlimited holidays means for the team. 

Why Did You Decide to Introduce Unlimited Holidays?

There were a couple of reasons behind the decision. One was the realisation that, as a Director, I can have all the flexibility I want. And we felt it was fair that everyone had a similar sort of flexibility. We do expect a lot as a business and it is hard work. In recruitment you are expected to take those urgent calls when you’re on holiday or at home in the evening. It’s the nature of being available 24/7 for your candidates and clients. 

But I’d hate for someone to miss out on going to a family party, parent’s evening, or an important life event, because they had to come to work. We want the team to be able to go on holiday with their friends or go on that stag-do, without worrying “oh I’ve only got so many days holiday left and I need to save them for Christmas”.

At the end of the day, these unlimited holidays are based on an individual’s performance. They will always put themselves under more pressure than we will as a business. So if someone’s working hard and hitting their targets, we want to offer that flexibility.

But ultimately, we want to encourage people to be happy to work here, and reward them for the work they do. That’s what it’s all about at the end of the day.

Were You Worried About the Impacts Unlimited Holidays Could Have on the Business?

Yeah definitely. You can’t make a decision like this without worrying. However, there are still those measurable and realistic expectations in place. When someone is hitting the targets we’ve set and they’ve set themselves, we’re more than happy for them to take holidays as they need. 

But when their individual performance is low, they’re falling behind the targets they set for themselves. We have found that people have certainly been more realistic with their holiday expectations, which in turn has increased team performance.

What Are Some of the Benefits You’ve Seen for the Team?

I’ve seen people being able to deal with health matters more effectively, both mental and physical. 

The team have been more focused on their targets and goals. They are more driven to deliver for their clients as a priority, rather than just sitting behind their desk for 8 hours a day.

And it’s an acknowledgement for the team that the business is all inclusive. There’s an acknowledgement of what people do here and the work they put in for the business. The team works hard, and they deserve to be rewarded for it.

What Unlimited Holiday Has Meant For The Dynamic Team

“When we used to have the regular holiday allowance, you had to plan your year from January to December. 

So I’d think, I want to go on holiday in summer, I want to take some days off during half-term to be with my partner, I need to take some for Christmas… And you realise you’ve only got 3 or 4 days left if you need them.

When we had doctors’ consultations and those could be three hours and only with a week’s notice, and I knew I didn’t have to worry about my holiday allowance for the year. I know John has that trust that I’ll make the time up if I need to. In those last few months of my partner’s pregnancy, it probably added up to 5 or 6 days off with all the doctor’s appointments. In a different company I would’ve run out mid-September.

As a new dad, it gives you that peace of mind. It’s the knowledge of being able to take time off when I need it.”

Chris Armistead-Cargan, Managing Consultant

What Unlimited Holiday Has Meant For Me

“As I’ve been writing this article, it’s been impossible to not think about what having unlimited holiday days has meant for me personally. 

This year I’ve been abroad for only the second time in my life. I’ve been skiing for the first time. I’ve watched both of my sister’s get married. And I’ve had the flexibility in my life that I’ve needed, being in a long-distance relationship. 

And I’ve done all this without worrying about having to save a week of holidays for Christmas.

For me it’s been the flexibility that’s been so important. And like Chris, I have the peace of mind that if I need the extra time off to go see my partner, John and Adam have that trust in me to get the work done I need to get done.”

Joseph Taylor, Digital Marketing Executive

Unlimited holidays is just one of the perks of a career in recruitment at Dynamic Search Solutions: Holiday incentives to Ibiza, Dubai, Dublin… Uncapped commission on top of a competitive base salary…  Hybrid and flexible working… And plenty of training and support to make you the best recruiter you can be.

Sound like something for you? If you want to find out more, read here to learn about what a career in recruitment is actually like, or have a look at our open vacancies here.

The post Why We Introduced Unlimited Holidays appeared first on Dynamic Search Solutions.

With just over 10 years of recruitment experience, ‘Client Engagement Manager’ Cian McDonagh, has joined Dynamic to lead the way in new business acquisitions and client engagement. We’ve spoken to him for some of his insights, and to find out more about what he’s learned from a career in recruitment.

Can you give us a brief overview of your role?

So basically, my role is to bring on new business and to handle all client engagement for new business opportunities within new accounts. I’ll be covering the Cloud, Infrastructure and Networks side of Dynamic. 

What led you to a career in recruitment in the first place?

I moved to London when I was 19 and I started in a recruitment agency. It was a good way to earn some cash when I first moved to london. And the world of sales is something I’ve always been drawn to and enjoyed: It’s people orientated, fast paced and every day is different. And you get to meet some really cool people.

So you’ve had a great career in recruitment. What’s your advice for someone just starting out?

So I started 10 years ago, and have been working purely in new business acquisition for the last 6 years. 

What I’d have to say to someone learning the ropes is to build a thick skin. Don’t let rejection get you down. Any rejection you get isn’t personal, even though it can feel like it is. The best way to think about it is, when you say no to a sales pitch or something, you’re not saying no to them personally, you’re saying no to what they’re providing. 

And if you ring someone out of the blue, you never know what their day has been like. And they don’t know you: So it can’t be personal.

What’s been the really memorable moment in your recruitment career? 

I remember making my first deal. That was quite cool, it was for a company called viadecks. It was a really quick turnaround actually, I found the guy, gave him a call and the deal was done before the end of the week. That was at the end of my first or second month as a recruiter.

What led you to choosing Dynamic for the next stage in your career?

Dynamic’s just a really exciting looking company. And it’s right in my sweet spot for technologies. I’ve always worked in this area of recruitment. And when I met the two owners, John and Adam I got on with them really well, straight away. I was really delighted. 

What aspect of recruitment do you think is often overlooked?

How hard a job it actually is, being a recruiter. It takes a strong willed individual to keep at it, and to get good at it. A lot of people can try it and fall by the wayside, saying no it’s too hard. So it does take a certain type of individual to keep cracking on.

What are you looking forward to, as you progress in your new role?

So I’m eventually aiming to become the Head of Sales further down the track. Before that I’ll be bringing on big clients, some partners, building up our jobs pipeline and getting some really good candidates through the door and into roles. That’s my immediate target.

And teaching people the ropes: Growing a team is something I’m really looking forward to. I did it pre-covid, but unfortunately it was only for 2 or 3 months before covid hit. So as I’m sure you can imagine, it quickly fell by the wayside. And I was really enjoying teaching these entry level recruiters about how to bring on new clients. So I’m looking forward to the point of getting back to that.

If you could meet anyone, who would it be and why?

Frank Sinatra, I’m a big Frank Sinatra fan, and Elvis. He was a brilliant musician, and outside of being a fan of the music, he was a really interesting character.

Or someone who helped build the pyramids. How they did that: Like the size of blocks, and the speed at which they built those massive structures. We’re still not sure how they built them today. It’s mad.

Can you tell us 3 interesting facts about yourself?

1. I entered the xfactor when i was 16, and again when i was 19. I made it through to the second stage the second time around, but not onto TV unfortunately.
2. I’ve driven a tuktuk all the way through India, from the bottom of India to the north. I was on my way back from Sydney after working there for a couple of years, and I met my brother in south Kerala. And basically, we signed up for this challenge, where we had 14 days to make this trip, called the tuk tuk rally. And we did it in 14 days! It wasn’t easy, some days we spent about 8 or 9 hours on the road.
3. And lastly, I’m the youngest of 8 kids. There’s 7 of us lads and 1 sister. 

At Dynamic we’re always looking for new members to join our growing team. If you’re ready to get started in your career, contact us here to find out if you’ve got what it takes. Or apply directly to our open recruitment consultant position here.

The post Meet The Dynamic Team: Cian McDonagh, Client Engagement Manager appeared first on Dynamic Search Solutions.