FRANKFORT, Ky. — Young people are soaring through the skies with cutting-edge technology at the Franklin Center for Innovation, where they can work on the requirements to become a certified drone pilot.
To operate drones, prospective pilots have to understand the basics.
Jason Allen is the executive director of the innovation center. He said it’s just like a video game where each drone is controlled by a remote control.
Right now, the center hosts third through eighth graders. They plan to start ninth through 12th graders in a drone racing league and hope to offer a future course for adults interested in getting a drone license.
The Drone Flight School takes students from online simulators to flying them in real life. Allen says this is an opportunity for young people to be inspired and join the workforce in a groundbreaking way. At 16, anyone can earn their FAA 107 drone pilot license.
“For folks that maybe don’t want to pursue college, there are trade programs, there are other things. But this opportunity comes at the age of 16. They can still be in school and start making money with a drone or push new technologies forward,” Allen said.
He says drones are not just helpful here in the state but for solving critical problems worldwide. “In Zimbabwe, they have issues getting medication to folks during rainy seasons, flooding, muddy roads. It may take hours to get medication to someone,” he explained.
Allen says the real success is in seeing students walk away with new skills. “Something very exciting for us to be able to say, ‘Hey, this is how we’ve affected them, better their knowledge on drones,’” Allen said.
Even the smallest drone has big potential, Allen added.