Sure, ridesharing is convenient, particularly when stuck sitting on a curb into the wee hours of a brisk Saturday morning, but it doesn't incite the same thrill, say, as seeing the Boston skyline from above does. With a $15,000 investment from Dorm Room Fund Boston, however, Flytenow is now ready to provide that adventure, piloting ridesharing into a new direction here in the Hub.
Northeastern University undergraduate Matt Voska started flying nearly three years ago. Yet, where he grew up in Chicago, aviation was a relatively reasonably priced hobby. When he moved to Boston for school, he discovered prices were double, almost triple in some cases.
"I was grounded," Voska told BostInno. "I wasn't able to fly, and it was really upsetting that I wasn't able to do what I love."
What would a student studying computer science and entrepreneurship be, however, if not eager to turn his frustrations into a company?
Flytenow is a Web-based service connecting fellow enthusiasts with local pilots willing to bring passengers on board their small plane to share in the thrill of flight.
"Until now, if you wanted to fly in a small plane, you would either have to know a pilot, become a pilot, or hunt down an expensive experience at a flight school or charter," Voska explained in a release. Thousands of pilots fly with open seats every day, though, and Flytenow is looking to capitalize on that vacancy.
Flytenow has flown a handful of flights, yet is now ready for take-off. With the student-run investment team's financing, Flytenow is equipped to fully launch out of beta Wednesday. Private pilots who own or rent a small aircraft can now post their flight on the company's website and set their price. Interested enthusiasts can then apply for membership, which allows them to see all the opportunities listed on the platform and book appointments.
Voska started Flytenow alongside Aakash Patel, Andrew Mass and Alan Guichard, students at Carnegie Mellon, the University of Illinois and Northeastern's School of Law, respectively. Together, they'll build the buzz in Boston and, if successful, grow to the next, not-yet-determined region. As Voska said, "The one that has the most pilots and enthusiasts in the region is where we'll go next."
Flytenow operates within the Federal Aviation Administration Regulations for private pilots, making the startup safe and an exciting addition to your humdrum, typical weekend plans.
"For us, it's really about the adventure," Voska said. "Going up there is unlike anything else — just gliding up there in the clouds and getting to see the world in a whole new way."
