Vries Strookman
Vries Strookman is an expert in the field of drones and public space. He became fascinated by aviation as a child, living near a military airbase and spending hours behind the computer managing virtual air traffic. When he later saw a noisy army helicopter land in the middle of Amsterdam, he thought: surely this could be done differently. That thought proved prophetic, because only a few years later drones and new forms of aviation were developing at lightning speed: from medical transports between hospitals to search and rescue operations, wildlife management, and even the first steps toward passenger drones (eVTOLs) that will connect cities and airports.
With his company Kennedy Approach, Strookman operates between government, academia, residents, and industry. He combines hands-on experience — with the proper certifications to fly all types of drones — with a sharp eye for spatial planning, ethics, and the societal conversations needed around sustainability and cost savings. His background in Business Administration (UvA, master’s) and Communication Science (RUG, master’s) helps him bridge technology, policy, and the public.
As co-initiator of the Amsterdam Drone Lab, he helped establish a testing and research facility where a wide range of partners — from police and fire services to municipal departments and training institutes — work together on the aviation of the future. In addition, he leads pilot projects across the Netherlands, from Den Helder to Rotterdam, translating those experiences into the broader debate on how drones and e-flight will soon find their place in our cities: in the air and on the ground, in terms of infrastructure, charging, and maintenance.
What drives Vries is imagination and engagement: he loves to take his audience vividly into the wondrous world of new aviation and the questions that come with it. How much space, and where, do we give drones in the city and region? How do we deal with privacy and cameras? And how do we keep an eye on both the opportunities and the dilemmas of this revolutionary technology?