Hands-on drone training at a discount

DARTdrones, the drone training firm made famous on ABC’s Shark Tank, has offered discounted training to AOPA members since we created memberships for remote pilots in 2017. Now they’re dispatching instructors to our home fly-in to teach advanced techniques for creating 3-D models and orthomosaic maps. These are key skills for remote pilots seeking work in construction and engineering, agriculture, disaster relief, and other industries. (These specialized skills typically command bigger payouts than simple photo and video jobs.)

AOPA members who join us in Frederick, Maryland, will enjoy making a smaller payout for this two-day workshop, offered at $1,117.50—25 percent off the retail price for this training. The curriculum includes classroom sessions in AOPA’s state-of-the-art You Can Fly Academy, as well as at least five hours of hands-on flight experience at a location a few miles from AOPA headquarters, just outside the Frederick Municipal Airport Class D airspace. (A remote pilot certificate is required for the flight portion, and DARTdrones can help with that, too. If you're already logged in to your AOPA Online account, visit this page to learn about discounted rates on that training.)

AOPA Senior Director of UAS Programs Kat Swain said the ongoing collaboration with DARTdrones is driven by the firm’s professional approach, noting DARTdrones has helped train many high-profile clients including NTSB staff and major corporations. “They’ve got a good track record,” Swain said.

Students in the upcoming workshop will learn the “back end” of mapping and modeling operations as well as techniques and skills for collecting high-quality data in flight. The classroom portion of the program includes data analysis skills, and students will come out of it able to export high-quality maps, models, and other end products sought by customers in several industries.

AOPA members can learn more and register online, and also review the other discounts and perks that come with AOPA membership, including a 15-percent discount on admission to InterDrone, the largest commercial drone event in North America, Sept. 3 through 6 in Las Vegas.

Coming to the AOPA Fly-In? Check in with fellow pilots in advance through the AOPA Fly-In Hub.