So you want to get your drone pilot’s license, which is a critical step in becoming a professional drone pilot. Relatively few people pass the test through self-study alone. Instead, most enroll in one of the myriad Part 107 classes.

Part 107 is a shorthand term for a set of regulations established by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) governing the operation of drones flying for commercial purposes (which includes, yes, your small business). Once you’ve earned your drone pilot’s license (which is formally called a Remote Pilot Certificate under Part 107), you can legally fly drones for business. To earn it, you must pass a written test, which is called the FAA Part 107 UAS Aeronautical Knowledge Test.

Part 107 classes come in two distinct forms: in-person and online. Depending on your personality and learning style, one type of class will likely be far superior to the other.

In-person Part 107 classes: the pros and cons

In-person Part 107 classes typically entail traditional classroom settings, which means face-to-face interaction with instructors and fellow students.

Where to find in-person Part 107 classes

You might find one being offered at your local community college.

Another excellent provider of in-person Part 107 courses is DARTdrones. Its flagship program, the Professional Wings Program, teaches you how to fly, how to get your Part 107 license and how to plan and execute missions all in one course, which typically spans a weekend.

The full weekend course costs about $1,500. Though, you can opt for only the Part 107 training portion, which is less than half that price.

Though pricey, the DARTdrones course can be worth it as it’s also an AUVSI TOP 1 Certified Training program. Plus, for drone pilots who want to level up their knowledge even more, DARTdrones offers a separate Trusted Operator Program Level 2 Remote Pilot Certification.

Benefits of in-person Part 107 courses

So why are in-person Part 107 classes especially great?

Accountability: As is the case with any sort of class that demands you be  physically present, enrolling in an in-person Part 107 class can force a level of accountability that you don’t get from the online course where you might be tempted to let your mind wander — or you might log off earlier than you’d intended.

Personalized attention: When you have a question, getting answers in an online course can be difficult given that you might have to search through the materials on your own, or email the instructor and wait for the response. With an in-person class, you can get you that answer immediately, simply by popping your hand up for the instructor.

Networking opportunities: Interacting with other aspiring drone pilots could help you build valuable connections. You might find your next business co-founder, or simply create a support group of folks entering the field from a similar place.

Flying practice (sometimes): Some in-person Part 107 classes also entail hands-on flight training (sometimes with simulators or even actual drones). Though there is no practical portion of the FAA’s test, learning how to fly your drone from a professional can be a smart move.

Drawbacks of in-person Part 107 classes

Limited flexibility: Classes have fixed schedules and locations, which might not work for everyone’s busy lives. You’ll also have to account for logistics (like travel time) to get there.

Higher cost: In-person classes are generally more expensive than online options. I’ll dive deeper into the prices down below, but expect in-person to be way more expensive. For example, whereas DARTdrones charges about $1,500 for a weekend of in-person droning, you could enroll in an online Part 107 course for less than $300.

Inability to work at your own pace: With an in-person class, all the information is thrown at you at once and you can’t go at your own pace. For people new to the industry, that can be overwhelming.

“I quickly learned within an hour of this two day class I was in over my head and needless to say I didn’t proceed further because I had no idea of the intensity of the knowledge that was required,” one reader, Kim, wrote in to The Drone Girl after enrolling in a Part 107 course through a local community college.

For people like Kim, online Part 107 classes turned out to be easier to stick with. Here’s more about their benefits:

Online Part 107 classes: the pros and cons

Companies like Drone Pilot Ground School and Drone Launch Academy offer online courses that consist of interactive modules made up of video lessons, practice quizzes and text to read.

Where to find online Part 107 classes

I made this one easy on you by offering up an official guide to the best online Part 107 courses. But, I’ll save you a click and highlight some top contenders:

• Drone Pilot Ground School offers a fantastic online training course with practice tests and repeatable videos. This is what I used to study for my test — and I passed on my first time — so I can guarantee it’s a good program! Use coupon code DroneGirl50 to get $50 off. It includes numerous quizzes, a one-page Part 107 study guide, access to weekly newsletters with the most up-to-date news and more.
• Drone Launch Academy offers another great online training course led by FAA-certified Advanced Ground Instructor David Young. Use coupon code DroneGirl50 or this link to get $50 off.
• John Peltier’s FAA Part 107 online training course is taught by a former Air Force pilot and instructor with more than 15 years of teaching experience. He’s one of the best manned aircraft instructors out there, so it makes sense to want to take his digital course on drones. All Peltier Photo Courses (whether the Part 107 course or other drone and photography courses) are available via a mobile app for both iOS and Android.

Benefits of online person Part 107 courses

More flexibility: Web-based Part 107 courses provide flexibility and convenience, allowing you to learn at your own pace and schedule, whether that’s late at night or in between tasks at home.

With an online course, you have more flexibility and freedom to study at your own pace – and in ways that jive best with your learning style. One Drone Girl reader said they bought a dry erase board to spell out their Part 107 goals.

Lower cost: If the $1,500 price tag I shared above for an in-person course like DARTdrones has scared you off, take solace in knowing that online courses are generally more affordable than in-person options.

All of my top picks for best online Part 107 courses cost less than $300. I used Drone Pilot Ground School to study, and I passed the test on my first try. Their base level course (which is honestly all I used) is $299, but you can use coupon code DRONEGIRL50 to save $50 and bring your price down to $249.

My other recommendation, which I consider to be my budget pick, is Drone Launch Academy. Their course is even cheaper at $199. They also have generously hooked up Drone Girl readers with a coupon code. Use coupon code DRONEGIRL50 to save $50 and bring your price down to just $149.

Live instructor interaction (sometimes): Some Part 107 classes can also offer the best of both the in-person and online worlds via a live instructor option.

Drawbacks of online Part 107 classes

Limited interaction: You might miss out on the personal touch and real-time feedback of an instructor.

Requires self-discipline: Staying motivated and focused in a self-paced environment can be challenging for some types of learners.

No hands-on experience: It’s unlikely you’ll find practical flight training in an online course. While actual flying won’t be tested in the FAA’s test, every professional pilot should have gone through professional training — which might be best done in person anyway.

The bottom line: in-person versus online

Ultimately the decision to enroll in an in-person versus online course comes down to your own learning style — and your budget.

In-person courses can force more accountability, while also offering valuable networking opportunities and even drone flight training.

But online courses tend to be self-paced, meaning you can study whenever your brain is ready — and no commute necessary. Plus, you’ll have ongoing access to materials so you can rewatch videos on units that you didn’t grasp as well. Of course, the far lower price tag is a huge benefit.

Which type of Part 107 course worked better for you? If you passed the Part 107 test, tell us how you studied in the comments below!

The post In-person vs online Part 107 classes: which is better? appeared first on The Drone Girl.

Happy 2024, dronies! Last week we looked back at the 11 biggest drone news stories of 2023. But now that it’s the new year, it’s time to look ahead, and there’s plenty of changes, policies and products set for lift off in 2024. Here are the seven biggest 2024 drone stories I’ll be following over the coming year:

Remote ID enforcement will go into effect

Remote ID (which is a sort of electronic licensing plate system for drones with a built-in layer of location information) was one of 2023’s biggest drone news stories given that Remote ID rules for drones went into effect on Sept. 16, 2023.

But the rollout was hardly smooth. Remote ID modules quickly ran out of stock, making it impossible to be compliant even if you wanted to be. It’s also drawn criticism from many drone pilots who’ve suggested it’s a waste of effort (which also means a waste of time and money) since the rule likely wouldn’t prevent bad actors from flying unidentified anyway. 

Largely in response to the module program, the FAA decided to offer a Remote ID extension in terms of enforcement, which means drone pilots now have until March 16, 2024 to make their drones Remote ID compliant.

Come March 2024, it’ll be interesting to see if that enforcement deadline gets extended once again, though that feels unlikely since most of the best Remote ID modules, such as the U.S.- made Z-RID broadcast modules from Zing, are finally back in stock.

Perhaps more interesting for those seeking juicy 2024 drone stories will be if enforcement actually leads to any meaningful changes in the drone industry. That said, many industry experts are not convinced it will. 

“Like a license plate on a vehicle, bad actors will simply stop RID transmissions (akin to removing the license plate on a car) or “spoof” the signal, similar to changing a license plate’s characters,” said Mary-Lou Smulders, chief marketing officer at Dedrone which builds counter-drone and drone detection technology.  “These shortcomings will mean that some malicious drone pilots can’t be prosecuted or caught unless there’s more than just Remote ID in place.”

California-based drone maker 3DR will relaunch

After a spectacular crash and burn of $100 million in investor funding, 3DR might be back. At the tail-end of 2023, 3DR returned by way of quietly launching a new website as well as a Discord community server.

3DR is a particularly compelling company given concerns around Chinese-made drones, such as the biggest player in the consumer drone market, DJI. Especially since Skydio shut down its consumer drone arm to instead focus on enterprise and defense industries, consumers currently have no options for a good consumer camera drone made in the USA).

We’ll be closely watching the 3DR return in 2024 and its impact on the consumer drone landscape in America. In general, American drone companies will mark among the 2024 drone stories highlights, and given its name, 3DR absolutely should be one of interest.

All the big drone events

Some of the top drone events of 2024 are pure fun, like the drone group trips to exotic destinations. Others are major conferences, which is where you can expect to see the biggest product launches. Conferences and summit also tend to be where we get the most insight on the state of drones today, whether it’s the latest policy plans from the FAA, or how politicians are thinking about shaping drone laws.

Among the biggest events to expect new product launches are CES 2024, which is just over a week away from Jan. 9 through 12 (held annually in Vegas), and AUVSI XPONENTIAL 2024, which is set for April 22 through 25 in San Diego.

The shrinking consumer drone market

Sure, conferences mean product launches, but expect most of this year’s product launches to be enterprise focused. 

That’s because, at least according to the second edition of the annual Drone Manufacturers Ranking 2023 from Drone Industry Insights (DII), the consumer drone market is shrinking. While the drone market as a whole is set to grow to $54.6 billion by 2030 (that’s a compound average growth rate (CAGR) of 7.1%), it’s actually being dragged down by the consumer market, which will slightly shrink in size by an estimated CAGR of -0.3%.

A growing enterprise market

The drone industry is set to still grow, but the consumer side is shrinking. How does that work? That’s all because the enterprise side is set to grow at a CAGR of 7.7%, according to DII predictions.

That just leads to all sorts of new use cases and companies offering drone services

“Spurred by developments from war zones to more reasonable drone legislation and BVLOS becoming easier, the drone economy across all sectors is simply going to keep growing,” Smulders said. “If BVLOS becomes easier to accomplish, drone deliveries will become a reality and DFR means that more first responder agencies will want even more drones. However, there are also some non-obvious industries that would increase their investments in drones, like the energy industry using drones with cameras equipped for visual inspections of power lines and other equipment.”

More drone companies pivot toward military applications

Many drone companies that started as consumer product makers have pivoted toward making enterprise-focused products. And of those, a steady stream of them are focusing almost primarily on government and military applications.

 For example, Parrot, which arguably deserves all the credit for bringing drones to consumers thanks to its Parrot AR.Drone (which yes, preceded the DJI Phantom) and later the Bebop consumer drones, is all about enterprise products. Its flagship drone is the ANAFI Ai, which is designed for photogrammetry on an open software platform. A sibling model called ANAFI USA is made in the U.S. and meets critical security standards including being Blue sUAS program approved, NDAA & TAA compliant. 

Then there’s Red Cat, the parent company of Teal. Teal started as a teenage boy’s vision of building modular drones primarily for FPV flying, but is now mostly focused on its Teal 2 drone, which was designed for military nighttime operations augmented by FLIR’s new Hadron 640R sensor. And by the way, that teenage boy, George Matus, is now in his mid-20s and was recently named CTO of Red Cat.

Another critical example is Skydio, which this summer announced it would shut down its consumer drone arm to instead focus on building drones and related products for enterprise and defense industries. It caught the attention of the Department of Defense. Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks even paid Skydio’s factory a personal visit in late December.

You will finally see a drone light show in person

This is more of a prediction, and I’m counting on you to make it happen. But I’m willing to whip out my crystal ball and say you will see a drone light show in person this year. Consider it an opportunity to tell your own 2024 drone stories.

That’s purely founded on the fact that drone light shows exploded in popularity in 2023, and are set on a path for the mainstream. That included Serena Williams’ baby gender reveal party, a Marvel drone show at Disneyland Paris and a show to inaugurate World of Frozen at Hong Kong Disneyland.

 In fact, 2023 was the year that I experienced my own, first in-person drone light show.

Of course, this means you’ll have to help me out to bring this prediction to fruition by heading out to your city’s Fourth of July evening celebration, or perhaps visiting a theme park or attending a conference. You’ll be glad you did.

And if you want to ensure you don’t miss these 2024 drone stories as they develop (and almost certainly many more drone news pieces to come), enter your email address below to subscribe to The Drone Girl daily email newsletter.

The post 7 of the biggest 2024 drone stories we’re following appeared first on The Drone Girl.

2023 was a huge year for drones, which have certainly matured away from chaotic robots that people fear will spy on them, into tools for light shows, mapping and even deliveries. In fact, it was a decade ago when then-Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos took to TV to announce his company’s vision for drone delivery.

That was Black Friday of 2013, when Bezos joined the CBS television program “60 Minutes” and changed the world. Because while his company has yet to run wide-scale drone deliveries, he incited a vision of drones in the skies. Whether it’s Amazon competitors like Google spinoff Wing or Zipline running drone deliveries, or it’s drones doing something else entirely, 2023 has proven that drones are here to stay.

So with that, here’s a look at the 11 biggest drone news stories of 2023:

Remote ID rules go into effect — but enforcement of them does not

Remote ID is arguably the biggest of the drone news stories of 2023. Remote ID rules for drones went into effect on Sept. 16, 2023, bringing a mandate for a sort of electronic licensing plate system for drones with a built-in layer of location information.

But for a number of reasons — including Remote ID modules out of stock, making it impossible to be compliant — the FAA decided to offer a Remote ID extension. Drone pilots now have until March 16, 2024 to make their drones Remote ID compliant.

In an exclusive interview with The Drone Girl, the FAA shed light on some reasons why.

March 2024 isn’t that far away, so if your drone isn’t already equipped with a built-in Remote ID module, you’ll need one. Check out The Drone Girl’s guide to the best Remote ID modules, such as the U.S.- made Z-RID broadcast module from Zing.

DJI continues to release new drones…

Though DJI has far and away been the heavy-hitter in the drone space, in 2023 it did lose some market share. Still, it’s easily the biggest drone maker out there, and DJI has solidified that stance by new product launches in 2023.

Among its new drones for 2023 included the DJI Mini 4 Pro and the DJI Air 3, both excellent options for the consumer drone market. For commercial users (or wealthy prosumers), DJI launched the DJI Mavic 3 Pro, which is the world’s first three optical camera drone.

And then the biggest of the bunch is the DJI Inspire 3, which launched in April 2023 with all sorts of features including a full-frame 8K imaging system, Tilt Boost and 360° Pan dual configurations and dual-control for operators.

…and DJI releases non-drone recording gear, too

But DJI didn’t stop with the drone gear. It also has been leaning heavily into other products for audio and video recording. For action sports enthusiasts, 2023 gave us the DJI Osmo Action 4 as DJI’s competitor to the American-made GoPro’s HERO11 Black action camera. 

Filmmakers have turned to the DJI RS 3 Mini, which launched in January 2023 as a lightweight, handheld travel stabilizer developed specifically to support today’s mainstream brands of mirrorless cameras and lenses.

And for all sorts of video makers, whether TikTok influencers or pro videographers, the DJI Mic is a popular tool for mono and stereo recording at distances of up to 250 meters.

Skydio ends consumer drone division, yet leans in harder on enterprise

While DJI has always dominated the consumer drone space, folks seeking out an American-made consumer drone had high hopes for California-based DJI. Those dreams were squashed this summer when Skydio announced it would shut down its consumer drone arm to instead focus on building drones and related products for enterprise and defense industries.

But that hardly meant Skydio got smaller. Shortly after, Skydio hosted a mega press event that included the launch of its Skydio X10 drone, an enterprise-range drone that stands out for its high-resolution cameras.

Sony also pivots its drone marketing strategy to enterprise users

Skydio is not the only drone maker shying away from consumers or film use cases to instead look toward enterprise use cases like energy, public safety, transportation, construction and communications.

Sony, which first announced its Sony Airpeak S1 drone in 2021, has certainly seen adoption by filmmakers. But in 2023, it formally announced its emphasis on the industrial side by rolling out a range of enterprise-focused updates. That included a more powerful battery, a RTK kit and a better gimbal — all critical for use cases like photogrammetry.

Both Sony and Skydio’s pivots suggest that the drone industry is hardly shrinking, but rather the focus is on enterprise use cases (which is where the money is at, anyway).

Red Cat evolves and grows to secure stronghold in military drone space 

Another compelling drone company is less so about enterprise use cases, but it’s certainly not about consumer use cases. Red Cat is going all in on military drones.

That was made clear in March 2023, when Red Cat launched the Teal 2, a drone designed to fly at night (which is critical for military operations). Teal 2 claims the title of the first drone to be equipped with Teledyne FLIR’s new Hadron 640R sensor. 

In June, the Teal 2 drone was added to the Blue UAS Cleared List, a highly-selective list of drones that the Department of Defense has approved. The company has drawn major interest, and it even received a visit from Republican Senator Mitt Romney who is co-sponsoring the American Security Drone Act of 2023.

Given all that, it’s no surprise that Red Cat expects major growth in 2024. We’ll be watching to see whether the latest Red Cat management shakeup was the right move for the company to achieve that.

Drone light shows get closer to ubiquitous 

2023 gave us an onslaught of companies that make light show drones. Having so many ready-to-fly drone light show options has made it easier for small businesses to launch their own light show companies — no robust manufacturing needed to actually build the light-up drones.

Perhaps it’s no surprise then that we saw so many drone light shows in 2023, including Serena Williams’ baby gender reveal party, a Marvel drone show at Disneyland Paris and a show to inaugurate World of Frozen at Hong Kong Disneyland.

In fact, 2023 is the year that I saw my own, first in-person drone light show.

FAA names a new Administrator

In October 2023, the U.S. Senate unanimously confirmed Michael Whitaker to serve as administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). He’s set to serve a five year term.

Given his background (including an executive role at Supernal, which is a Hyundai Motor Group company designing an electric advanced air mobility vehicle), Whitaker should be a compelling figure for the drone industry.

Drone import, export bans upend industry

Concerns about national security and intellectual property theft have led to increased scrutiny of Chinese-made drones in 2023. The U.S. government has considered a ban on the use of Chinese drones by federal agencies, such as the American Security Drone Act. That bill was proposed in February 2023 by Republican Senator Rick Scott of Florida, and it would prohibit most federal agencies from using drones manufactured in China (which includes DJI drones).

That’s perhaps unsurprisingly particularly given the widespread, anti-drone sentiment that’s been stoked largely by politicians for years.

What was less likely to be on anyone’s 2023 bingo card, though, was the fact that China would impose its own restrictions on exports of certain drones. That move was in response to Russia’s war in Ukraine, stemming from concern that its drones were being used for military purposes (and China has stated it wants to remain neutral in the war).

Of course, China and the U.S. aren’t the only ones playing with bans on drones from certain countries. The Indian government has also banned imported drones in an effort to prop up homegrown drone makers.

Drone delivery companies overhaul operations

While drone delivery is still in its early stages (yes, even a decade past Bezos’ 2013 announcement), 2023 saw significant progress in drone delivery technology and infrastructure. Companies are working on long-range drones, autonomous landing systems, and secure delivery hubs.

Some of the major drone delivery companies also launched significant overhauls to the way they executed drone deliveries. It started with Wing (the sister company of Google), which in March 2023 launched a new piece of hardware called Autoloader, which supports the Wing Delivery Network. With the new, more advanced Wing Delivery Network, drones linked through the Wing Delivery Network will be able pick up, drop off, travel, and charge in whatever pattern makes the most sense for the entire system.

That same month, Zipline launched an all new drone delivery platform called Platform 2 (P2), which makes the drones easier to load, and keeps them farther away from people (also allowing them to be quieter).

And not to be outdone, Flytrex in September 2023 launched ‘Autonomous Pickup,’ a new capability designed to allow drones to pick up orders from restaurants and retailers via dropdown wire. That’s a pivot from its old system where orders were loaded onto the drone by the drone’s operator.

All those new systems have made retailers more in tune with drone delivery. For example, Wing in August added Walmart to its list of clients. And drone delivery has gotten so easy, some people use it on a practically daily basis. That includes 84-year-old Susie Sensmeier, who is believed to hold the record for most drone deliveries ordered. Within four years, she had placed more than 1,200 orders for drone delivery through Wing.

And ready-to fly-delivery drones became more readily available

Those three companies use their own, in-house drones to make the delivery. But in 2023, there’s been an uptick in companies manufacturing delivery drones with the sole purpose of being purchased by others (perhaps retailers themselves) to conduct drone deliveries.

Most notably is DJI, which in August launched its ready-to-fly FlyCart 30 delivery drone. Though, it’s only available in China. U.S. customers might instead consider the RDSX Pelican, which is a new, flagship product from California-based A2Z Drone Delivery.

So what’s next for the drone industry? You’ll have to tune in to Drone Girl’s predictions, hopes and visions for 2024. Check back with Drone Girl next week (or enter your email in the right side of this website to subscribe to email alerts) to see what I’m looking forward to and expecting most of all from drones in 2024.

What were your top drone news stories of 2023? Post them in the comments below!

The post The 11 biggest drone news stories of 2023 appeared first on The Drone Girl.