For college students enrolled in uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS), aviation, or FAA Part 107 remote pilot training courses at accredited schools, a new scholarship opportunity could elevate their career.
Flight data platform DroneDeploy, in partnership with Amazon’s Prime Air drone delivery unit and aerial imaging provider FlyGuys, has introduced Elevate: an initiative that aims to prepare 16-to-24-year-old students for careers in the growing commercial drone world. The scholarship is also backed by the Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI), FAA’s Collegiate Training Initiative (CTI), and National Center for Autonomous Technologies (NCAT), which funds university education of automated systems.
“Elevate gives people a real way in: skills, certification, and a clear path into an industry that’s growing fast and changing even faster,” said Joe Stough, CEO of FlyGuys, in remarks accompanying Tuesday’s announcement. “This opens the door for young people who might not otherwise see themselves in this space and gives them the tools to step into it with confidence.”
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Acquiring a Part 107 license—required for operators who want to make a living flying a drone—is not particularly difficult. The crux of the process is the Part 107 airman knowledge test, which covers regulations, safety protocols, approved operations, and more across 60 questions.
The only requirements for the exam are that the applicant must be at least 16, able to read, speak, write, and understand English, and mentally and physically capable of remote piloting. They must also pay $175 each time they take the test.
Elevate promises to provide Part 107 training courses and other resources, many of which are available as paid offerings from a variety of providers—or for free from the FAA. But the scholarship goes above and beyond by covering the $175 test fee, as well as providing career guidance and access to “hands-on flight training, online communities, and cutting-edge software tools,” per its website.
Using a variety of waivers, certified remote pilots can build a career out of anything from drone package delivery to wildland firefighting, or even drone design. Elevate could prepare students for any and all of them.
“We are committed to partnering with industry leaders in developing the next generation of professionals who will help shape the future of autonomous delivery and build the foundation for an entirely new category of aviation careers,” said Matt McCardle, director of infrastructure, expansion, and regulation for Prime Air.
There are close to 450,000 remote pilots certified to operate the approximately 420,000 commercial drones registered with the FAA as of April. But registrations have spiked in recent years as the agency introduced new regulations.
With last week’s submission of rules for beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) operations and flight restrictions over sensitive facilities to the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, they could spike again. The FAA in a 2024 forecast estimated more than 100,000 new remote pilots will be needed to meet demand in 2028.
Elevate was created in direct response to that need, according to its leadership, which includes Diana Robinson, a project manager in the agency’s UAS Integration Office. Casie Ocaña, vice president of public affairs at AUVSI, called the program “exactly the kind of initiative our industry needs right now.”
According to Jono Millin, cofounder and chief data officer of DroneDeploy, Elevate’s focus on young applicants is intended to create a pipeline of remote pilots for the increasing number of commercial drone jobs. In Millin’s words, the initiative is “more than just a scholarship; it’s an investment in the future.”
“By providing access to training and career resources, we are empowering individuals to not only participate in the drone revolution but also to shape the trajectory of the broader AI and robotics landscape,” Millin said.
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