dataTec Insights
Of people and model planes – what drives Dirk Bubley.
Dirk Bubley is a model plane enthusiast. This benefits him at work – and vice versa.
„I have to be able to load my aeroplanes into the car!“
Of course, the man drives an estate car. "I have to be able to load my planes into the car!" Dirk Bubley owns around a dozen aircraft models – from gliders and electric gliders to models with internal combustion engines or electric motors. Five or six times a month during the warm season, he drives out to his club's airfield, the Niederdorfelden model plane group near Frankfurt am Main, to let his "birds" take to the sky.
Since the age of twelve, the trained radio and television technician and keen model builder has been indulging in his hobby, model planes. And he has been working for dataTec for more than six years – until June 2022 in technical sales for investment goods, since July as Business Development Manager. The enthusiasm for technology is what drives him.
In model plane construction, there are numerous topics on the agenda that also play a central role in the further development of e-Mobility, he says. However, the model plane pilots are already much further ahead. "Today, around 90 per cent of all models are electric. This is immense progress, not only from an environmental point of view: An internal combustion engine has an efficiency of between 30 and 40 percent, the remaining energy is converted into heat. An electric motor, on the other hand, has an efficiency of 85 to 90 per cent."
And more: "By means of data networking and telemetry, a lot of measurement data can be received and analysed This means that the hobby pilot can find out about battery capacity, voltage, power consumption and much more while the plane is flying. He receives valuable information to optimise battery management, charging parameters and the entire drive train.
„That has been with me all my professional and private life: Measure, evaluate, optimise. Tinkering and experimenting, testing and starting over and over again. Until it works perfectly.“
dataTec Expert
Dirk Bubley / Business Development Management
In the club, of which he is chairman, he experiences "what a wonderful introduction model aviation is to the so-called MINT professions, especially with young people. Because when you learn through play, enthusiasm comes almost automatically."
Quite apart from the fact that in the club – just as in the profession – it is never just about technical issues. "It is always about dealing with people, about constructive cooperation, about working together to resolve conflicts or difficult tasks. To do that, you have to listen and talk to each other."
"What I do in my hobby is a reflection of what I do professionally. There, too, it is important to constantly shed new light on issues, to look for solutions, to involve people and to win them over as partners for dataTec. It's a daily challenge that's really fun."