Beginning this fall, more than 200 area middle and high\nschoolers will be well on their way to future careers in drone technology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As part of a two-year curriculum, students will learn\nassembly and repair, engineering and design, programming and operation of drone\nunits. They will also learn about laws and ethics surrounding drone use and\nearn initial pilot certificates, as well as Federal Aviation Administration\n(FAA) licenses required for operating certain commercial units.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The effort marks the latest initiative by the locally based\nDee Howard Foundation, established in 2016 to preserve and honor San Antonio’s\nlong history of aviation and aerospace innovation while developing new learning\nprograms in partnership with area school districts to empower the next\ngeneration of local industry talent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Kelly Heritage Foundation \u2014 a nonprofit affiliated with\nPort San Antonio that honors Kelly Air Force Base’s legacy and Tech Port’s\nfuture by raising and distributing funds to support educational and career\nopportunities \u2014 has stepped up to fund the new drone program with a gift of\n$150,000. This provides a strong start as the Dee Howard Foundation seeks to\nraise a total of $400,000 by the beginning of the 2023-24 school year to\nsupport the curricula across multiple school districts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Drone technology is rapidly expanding across many sectors\nwith strong growth expected in related careers, including engineers,\nmaintainers, programmers and pilots. Sectors that are quickly adopting drones\nas part of their operations include architecture, agriculture, energy, urban\nplanning, real estate and law enforcement. And major retailers foresee a near\nfuture where drone technology will be a commonplace part of supply chains,\nincluding delivery of packages to consumers’ homes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A foundation in drone technology also prepares students to\nparticipate in upcoming advanced air mobility (AAM) and urban air mobility\n(UAM) initiatives \u2014 the development of aviation systems to transport cargo and\npeople between places previously not served or underserved by aviation at the\nlocal, regional and intraregional levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Emerging AAM\/UAM technologies include electric vertical takeoff\nand landing (eVTOL) vehicles that are currently being pioneered by several\norganizations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n