Lance
Founder & Engineer
Pilot and software engineer. Started HobbsMate to scratch his own itch and give back to the General Aviation community. Handles everything from engineering to UX to customer support.
Back
About HobbsMate
A small team chasing a big idea
Started by pilots who got tired of overpriced, clunky software. So we built the tool we wished existed.
The Team
A small team that uses HobbsMate ourselves. If something sucks, we fix it.
Christen
Marketing
Creator and entrepreneur. Between family and a pile of craft projects, she's crafting HobbsMate's story — because what good is a product if nobody knows about it? She keeps the nerding in check so pilots hear from a human, not just a bunch of engineers.
Jacob
Engineering
Aviation enthusiast and engineer. When he isn't spending time with his family or perfecting the art of pizza making, he's getting nerdy on the details that make HobbsMate tick. You'll find Jacob obsessing over latency and the finer engineering details that make the platform stand out.
Brandon
Sales & Partnerships
Family man and pilot. Co-owner of a plane with Lance, Brandon has been there since the beginning of HobbsMate. He's excited to help share the vision with the General Aviation community.
Our Story
💡
The Spark
It started with a spreadsheet. The existing aircraft management software had price gates that didn't match the value. Lance, a pilot, veteran, and software engineer, realized he had the skills to build something better for himself and his co-owner Brandon. A nice change from building software for big tech and DoD. That was the spark.
✨
The Ah-Ha Moment
As we dug in, we got nerdy on what GA pilots actually do every day: snap a photo of the Hobbs or Tach, record the times, note where we started and ended. The question hit: what if we just leaned into the pictures? What could we glean from that?
A lot, it turns out. That's when HobbsMate went from "just another tracking app" to something different. HobbsMate Intelligence® was born.
🚀
Innovation Didn't Stop There
Another owner asked for an oil sample export feature. We were ready to build a button. Then the second epiphany hit: what if you could just *ask* HobbsMate Intelligence®? We tested it. It worked. Now we lean hard into that approach: letting features find themselves from feedback, and not doing what's already been done.
📸
It Had to Be One Picture of the Airplane
The photos only mattered if everything else lived with them. Time, maintenance, and what it actually costs — one system, not a logger plus an MX app plus a spreadsheet. Same idea as the meters: don't retype what you already have.
✈️
Built Because We Use It
We're a small team that uses HobbsMate ourselves. If something sucks, we note it and fix it. Every feature exists because one of us needed it.
We ship fast, listen to feedback, and keep improving. This is just the beginning. We invite you to join us on this adventure.
How We Think
Our principles guide every decision, from features we build to how we run the business.
Problem First, Not Feature First
We don't build features just because others have them. We study the problem, find the friction, and ask: what if we approached this differently? That's how photo-based logging was born.
Pilots, Not Investors
We're profitable from subscriber fees alone. No VC funding means no pressure to jack up prices, add random paywalls, or chase metrics that don't help pilots. We build what makes flying easier. Period.
Sustainable, Not Scalable
We're not trying to be the next unicorn. We're building a sustainable business that serves GA pilots for decades. Slow, steady growth beats VC-fueled chaos every time.
Feedback Shapes the Roadmap
We listen to pilots, not pitch decks. Your input directly shapes what we build next. Got an idea? Tell us. We're small enough to be nimble and actually care about your feedback.
Built to Last
We're in this for the long haul. Without VC, there's no outside mandate to flip HobbsMate for investor returns — we built it for our own aircraft first. You're flying alongside people who still depend on the same product you do.
Transparency > Marketing Hype
We tell you what HobbsMate can do and what it can't. No overpromising. No fake urgency. Just honest software from pilots who get it.
Why We're Different
0
VC Dollars
Bootstrapped. Profitable from subscribers. Pilot-owned.
Photo-first
Logging
Intelligence reads Hobbs and tach from snapshots. You review. That's the product.
1
System
Photo log, maintenance, and money in one place — not three apps and a spreadsheet.
Ready to Try Photo-Based Flight Logging?
Snap. Track. Done.
No credit card required. Free usages of photo logging and more to try it out. Cancel anytime.
Want to Get in Touch?
We're a small team, but we respond fast. Questions, feedback, or just want to chat about aviation?