About Now-Next
We're the team behind Pilot-Next — because managing a shared aircraft shouldn't be a full-time job.
The Company
Now-Next is a Dutch software studio based in Voorburg. We build products that solve real operational problems — the kind you can't fix with another spreadsheet. Alongside large-scale digital transformation work for multinationals, we ship our own SaaS products.
Pilot-Next is the one closest to our heart — and the one that started it all.
The Origin Story
Back in 2010, our founder became a shared aircraft owner and immediately ran into the same problem every partnership faces: the admin overhead. Scheduling conflicts, cost splits, invoicing, maintenance tracking — all handled with spreadsheets and group chats. No suitable tooling existed, and we also wanted to rent our plane out to other pilots.
So we built our own: YouFly. The focus was always on minimising admin and maximising automation. It was state-of-the-art for its time, and over 15 years of running it we learned an enormous amount about what pilots and clubs actually need.
Technology moves on. YouFly was built on legacy foundations, and by the mid-2020s it was clear that a ground-up rewrite was the right call. That's how Pilot-Next was born — “next generation” in every sense. The same 15 years of hard-won operational insight, rebuilt on modern technology: React, NestJS, PostgreSQL, real-time sync, and a clean mobile-first UI.
Other tools have appeared in the meantime. Most of them try to do too much. Pilot-Next takes the opposite approach: the minimal set of features required to run a smooth operation. The more unnecessary detail you add to an app, the more you have to administer. We focus on simplicity, efficiency, and flexibility — 2-click booking, simple settlement, self-invoicing. Everything you need; nothing you don't.
Meet the Founder
Now-Next was founded by Chris van Eijk — Dutch, based in The Hague, and flying since 1999. In 2010 Chris became a shared aircraft owner, which is where the story of YouFly (and eventually Pilot-Next) really starts.
After many years as a developer and now leading large-scale digital transformation programmes for multinationals, Chris founded Now-Next to bring that same experience to real-world operational problems. Aviation has always been his first love — and Pilot-Next is where those two worlds meet.
Further Reading
Pilot-Next is built on top of the regulatory and community frameworks of general aviation. Three good starting points if you're new to shared aircraft ownership or want the official rules behind partnership operations:
- AOPA — Aircraft & Ownership — the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association’s practical guides on partnerships, co-ownership, and the economics of running a shared plane.
- EASA — European Union Aviation Safety Agency — the regulator that defines what European clubs and partnerships can and cannot do, from licensing through to maintenance.
- IAOPA Europe — the European chapter of IAOPA, advocating for general aviation interests across EU member states and a useful pulse on what's changing in the rules.