V1DroneMedia Drone Classes

V1DroneMedia offers a set of drone classes that V1DroneMedia’s Chief Drone Pilot (Jason Damman) developed and teaches regularly through local Cleveland community colleges and on-demand for individuals or organizations. Each class is geared toward a specific type of ‘drone’ knowledge need the students or organization is looking for, and we can develop custom classes by request.

Curious about the drone industry?

If you have heard of drones but are not sure how you can take advantage of this innovative technology, would like to learn about it, what it takes to work with drones legally, and what careers are available in the industries that are using drones, our 3-hour Introduction to Drones Class is for you!

What you will learn may spark an interest in a new career, or hobby, or inspire you to use the drone as a tool in your current job and will help you understand what to do if you want to get started. Since this is an in-person class with a drone industry professional, you will also have the ability to ask questions.

Want to learn to fly a drone with expert guidance?

Whether you are a drone hobbyist or an aspiring commercial drone pilot, the essential part of your drone training should be learning to fly the drone. That means being comfortable with operating the drone apps (such as DJI, Litchi, etc.), performing takeoffs and landings, learning to maintain and calibrate the drone, performing routine flight maneuvers, operate the camera to take pictures and video.

We have designed the Drone Operations Class to address this need for anyone who’s never touched a drone, and for those who know their way around a little, but don’t have the full confidence in operating it and want to advance their knowledge and skills.

This class consists of a 3-hour in-class portion that will introduce you to drone apps, how to calibrate, and maintain a drone, design a pre-and post-flight checklist, and introduce you to intelligent flight modes. The outdoor 3-hour portion will allow you to practice this knowledge with the guided expertise of a seasoned drone pilot.

We also have private 2-hour Hands-on Drone Flying Lessons that include only outside flying with hands-on practice, if you just want to practice flying.

While this class will equip you with the ‘know-how’ to operate a drone, it will be up to you to practice and hone your flight skills. That takes time and dedication, but it can pay off. Drone pilots are in demand in a variety of industries (as you can learn from us by taking our Intro to Drones class or watching the Drones for Business Webinar recording), and that demand is growing. A Drone pilot’s hourly pay rate can range from $50 - $250 or even more, depending on their skill set, experience, and the type of work they are doing.

Decided to get your commercial drone pilot (aka FAA Part 107) license?

You will need to get FAA Part 107 license if you intend to use drones for commercial purposes. That means even if you take aerial photographs to market your friend’s real estate listing, or if you want to do a flyover of a building for a roof or home inspection, regardless of the size and weight of the drone. Read my Drone Pilot License blog post for more details on this topic.

If you have decided to take the Part 107 Test, you will need to study FAA Part 107 Knowledge Test Materials and take the Part 107 Test which is similar to a private pilot test in the amount of knowledge covered. It costs $175 to take the test, so having proper preparation is important. You don’t want to have to spend that money again.

Our 2-day in-person FAA Part 107 License Prep Class breaks down the FAA prep materials (they are quite dense and full of aviation lingo) into easy-to-digest concepts for anyone. We cover only the information that is needed to pass the test and operate your unmanned aircraft safely. You will also receive additional resources such as materials to study and access to practice tests.

After that it will be up to you to study, take practice tests, and, when you feel confident enough, schedule and take the Part 107 test in a testing center.

Drone Classes Sign-up

If you’d like to stay up to date on our drone class dates and times, Sign Up to be notified when they get scheduled, and check out our Events page to register for upcoming drone classes.

Custom Drone Training for Organizations

If your organization wants to train its employees, we can design courses that suit your needs. Contact us for a consultation!

Why hands-on drone flight training is important for drone pilots

As a new year begins, many of us are making New Year resolutions. V1DroneMedia's resolution is to bring the most up-to-date and simple-to-understand drone knowledge to you: information about drone regulations, drone industry, equipment capabilities, flight skills, and other drone information to those interested in learning more about drone technology and getting started in flying drones safely and legally.

A lot of drone pilot schools are focused on education and compliance with the FAA drone laws and regulations and getting the Part 107 Remote Pilot License. And this IS where you should start your drone journey if you are thinking about getting a drone or just purchased one because you want to be aware of where and how to operate your drone safely and legally, avoid any negative law enforcement or 'well-wisher' attention, and can intelligently answer any questions about how and where you can legally fly.  We have covered all these subjects in our blog post A Beginner's Guide To Drones and have regularly scheduled Drone Training Courses that you can attend to learn this information and get ready for the FAA Part 107 Drone Certification Test.

V1DroneMedia’s Chief Pilot teaching Traffic Patterns during an FAA Part 107 Drone License Prep Course

However, learning safe drone operations or procuring your Part 107 Drone Pilot Certificate is only a starting point (one should walk before they run). The essential part of your drone training should be getting hands-on time flying the drone. That means being comfortable with operating the drone apps (such as DJI, Litchi, etc.), performing takeoffs and landings, learning to maintain and calibrate the drone, performing routine flight maneuvers, operate the camera to take pictures and video. These skills cannot be taught in a classroom, and you need them to fly the drone proficiently if you are serious about becoming a drone pilot. You must get out there and learn to fly your drone, just like manned aviation pilots spend hours flying in a simulator or with an instructor before flying on their own (I spent hours and days in simulator sessions during my training as a commercial pilot, and had to do recurrent training every year in a simulator as well).

While flying a drone doesn't come with the liability of flying an aircraft worth millions of dollars with people on board, it is still very important to understand the systems that make a drone work and be proficient with your equipment to ensure safe operation.

A drone is usually needed to shoot an aerial photo or video of a certain subject matter or an object on the ground or even high up in the air, and you need to have skills to fly the drone to focus on a subject, position the camera of the drone to shoot video or photo from different angles while flying around the subject, maybe even track the subject and shoot continuous video or photographs.

V1DroneMedia’s Chief Pilot with students during a drone flight session

Many of these flight maneuvers are built into intelligent flight modes in the apps nowadays, but you would still need to know how the different intelligent flight modes work and become proficient at setting them up and incorporating them into your workflow (if needed). Learning to fly in a manual mode is also very important and can be beneficial in many situations – especially if you would have to manually take control of the aircraft for any reason.

To help fill the gap in hands-on drone flight experience for aspiring drone pilots V1DroneMedia is now offering Drone Operations classes with both classroom and outdoor time for learning the drone apps, flying procedures and hands-on time, and Hands-on Flying Sessions for individuals and groups tailored to individuals' skill levels and goals. If one of your resolutions this year is to explore a drone as a hobby, learn to fly a drone proficiently, or learn advanced drone flying skills to further your drone industry career goals, Contact Us to schedule your session today! And get on an e-mail list to stay informed about our group class schedules.