AvSport of Lock Haven: Commercial Drone Pilot Training

AvSport of Lock Haven -- 353 Proctor Street, Lock Haven PA 17745

Commercial Drone Pilot Training on the Piper Memorial Airport, Lock Haven PA.

Droning On (an historically relevant poem)
Copyright © 2016 by H. Paul Shuch

Drones are not a new idea. I became aware
Of UAVs at Lockheed, back when I was working there
As a junior engineer. A contract they had won
To build an RC model carrying camera and gun.
But that was not my project, so I paid it little heed.
Besides, who but the military would have such a need?
Fast forward about forty years. Suddenly, a drone
Would show up underneath the Christmas tree in every home.
They carried no munitions. Just a camera perhaps,
Could navigate by GPS and ones-and-zeroes maps.
A flying photo platform that the masses could afford
Was spawning a new industry that could not be ignored.
And I, by now a technocrat of global reputation,
Was running my own flying school, the finest in the nation.
I sensed an opportunity, and challenges as well.
What future did these drones hold? Frankly, none of us could tell.
But it was fairly obvious, did not take half a brain
To see how many pilots I could get a chance to train.
A million hobby drones were quickly flying off the shelf.
Though automated, not a one could fly all by itself.
The FAA did not take long to get into the act.
They started writing rules and regulations, and in fact
Would soon want registration of all drones, you understand,
As well as those who wished to act as Pilot In Command.
The first certification path for drones’ commercial use
Was simple, leaving those who wished to fly them no excuse
But to comply. A pilot’s license FAA required
(And students for my flying school were something I desired).
A horde of future aviators flocked into my class.
My goal for them was mastery, not just a test to pass.
The skill set to fly drones, and that for aircraft that are manned,
Have very little overlap, I came to understand.
But both share the same airspace, and environment as well
As the same laws of physics. I could very quickly tell
A UAS curriculum was very much in need.
The FAA, who writes the regulations, quite agreed.
I spent almost a year in study, planning, and research,
And so it was, along the way, I was among the first
Drone pilots to be licensed on the day the rules went green.
My own certificate is time-stamped zero dark eighteen.
I advertised, and instantly five students I attracted.
My course went live the week the regulations were enacted.
I spruced up my old classroom and renewed my hangar lease.
My first successful graduate works for the State Police.
Could drones be used for more than just citations to increase?
Now, accident investigation is his specialty,
And drones provide a view no other vantage point can see
Of wreckage and of damages to other property.
My second graduate had more conventional desires.
His field is videography. It seems he now aspires
To branch out into aerial photography. So, he
Immersed himself in reading after studying with me.
He had no prior training, but was motivated, and
Soon aced his test. He now is Remote Pilot In Command.
Now every academic quarter sees my classes fill
With folks who feel that Unmanned Aircraft Systems fit the bill.
A few are pilots. Some flew model aircraft all their lives.
But most are flying novices. For me, the big surprise
Is seeing those with no aircraft experience at all
Becoming experts, droning on, and having quite a ball.

With drone technology and AvSport training, the sky is no longer a limit.

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