The Workforce Institute at St. Petersburg College continues to expand its Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) or drone training program. Since the program was established in December 2016, there have been 196 enrollments in various drone classes.  In October, a UAS Student Meetup Group was formed.

The goals of the monthly meetup are to allow students to share resources, network with other UAS users, and bring in guest speakers to provide information to our local UAS community.  Guest speaker topics have included FAA regulations, liability insurance for drone operators, and steps to become an effective entrepreneur using a drone.  This group is comprised of individuals that have taken one or more UAS classes at the college.  Many of the participants have completed their UAS Remote Pilot Certificate.

In July 2016, FAA released new rules for non-hobbyist small unmanned aircraft (UAS) operations, Part 107 of the Federal Aviation Regulations.  These rules cover a broad spectrum of commercial uses for drones weighing less than 55 pounds, to include certification requirements for UAS pilots.

Details for the next UAS Meetup are below.

• Date: Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2017
• Time: 6- 7:30 p.m.
• Location: SPC Epicenter, Workforce Institute, Room 324, 13805 58^th St. N. Clearwater, FL 33760.
• Agenda: The meeting will include a panel discussion with representatives from different organizations in Pinellas County and their involvement in drone operations.  The meeting is open to both UAS students and those interested in learning more about the college’s UAS training program.

Upcoming Drone training classes at SPC

The Workforce Institute at St. Petersburg College will be offering the following courses in Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) in January and February.

• 1-day UAS Video Production and Editing on Thursday, Feb. 2, 6 – 9 p.m., SPC Epicenter.  In this one day course, students will learn how to import photos and video from the Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) SD card and be introduced to Apple’s iMovie video editing software for iPad and iPhone. Features of Apple’s iMovie editing program will be discussed and students will be instructed how to use this software for basic video editing and production purposes using iPad and iPhone.
• 1-day UAS Overview Course on Saturday, Feb. 4, 9 a.m. – 2 p.m., SPC Epicenter.  This 1-day introductory course includes hands-on flight lessons for students, flight demonstrations and drone displays, FAA airspace regulations, appropriate use of drones, weather topics, and resources for drone operators.
• 5-day UAS Remote Pilot Certificate Prep Course on Feb. 13-17, (Mon-Fri) 4-8 p.m., SPC Epicenter. This 5 day course is designed to prepare students to pass the FAA Remote Pilot Certificate exam.  The course will include UAS regulations, flight operations and restrictions, emergency procedures, crew resource management, radio communication procedures, aeronautical decision-making and judgement, and maintenance and pre-flight inspection procedures.  This course also includes 3-4 hours of hands-on UAS flight training.
• 6-week Entrepreneurship course tentative for February, SPC Epicenter. Students will walk through many key steps and research points that will help them build a profitable and sustainable business. Topics will include: value proposition, customer segments, customer relationships, revenue streams, key resources, key activities, and cost structure.

Career opportunities for students with drone training include business-entrepreneurship, military drone pilot, firefighter, disaster relief, search and rescue, law enforcement, oil and gas operations, border patrol, agriculture, package delivery, forestry, engineering, computer science, real estate, film and photography, and other industries.

For more information on drone training courses, please call Fred Tucker at 727-791-2409.

For information on all other training, please visit SPC’s Workforce Institute page or contact us at (727) 341-4445 or workforce@spcollege.edu.