At the Palm Springs Drone Fest, the whir of propellers and the pulsing lights of miniature aircraft were more than a spectacle — they were a glimpse into the future of tech education, job training and entrepreneurship. At the heart of it all? That’s Tony Reid, founder of Drone Cadets, a New York-based education program aimed at exposing of all ages — from young children in elementary school to adults looking for a new career — to drones.

Drone Cadets offers a range of curriculum designed for all sorts of age groups and skill levels. There’s a $7,000 Mini Cadets Program that spans 10 hours and is designed for 15 students ages kindergarten through second grade to learn the basics of drone controls and safety.

Older kids in grades 3-8 get exposure to more advanced topics. The Drone Flight School Course teaches kids basics of hardware like soldering, how to fly drones and even Federal Aviation Administration rules, guiding them through what they need to pass the FAA’s TRUST test. That course costs $25,000 for 20 students and spans 20 hours. Within it, they explore some pretty advanced topics, including designing their own aerial indoor drone light show.

And it was that piece of the curricula — the indoor drone light show course — that attendees at Palm Springs Drone Fest got to partake in. The night before, most attendees viewed a 500-drone outdoor show put on by SkyWorx.

But for the main day of PS Droen Fest, Reid shared a hands-on version with the audience of what comes next: teaching the next generation how those drone shows come to life.

Watch it in a quick recap video below:

A drone festival unlike any other: hands-on with making your own drone light show

Whereas most drone conferences involve long hours of sitting in a ballroom chair listening to a keynote or lecture, most of what was put on at PS Drone Fest was hands-on.

“We’re teaching the students the meat and potatoes of drone light shows,” Reid said. “They got to see an awesome drone light show yesterday with 500 drones from SkyWorx. Now today they want to know, ‘how did they do it? How do you create, set up…what are the ins and outs?”

His voice brimmed with energy as he helped kids calibrate base stations and walk through software like seasoned professionals.

It was an ambitious goal for a one-hour session. Still, the kids weren’t just flying drones—they were laying out drones in a grid calculating metric conversions, and learning about the geofencing required to pull off a seamless light show safely.

“We had the kids literally set up the base stations… understand from, ‘hey, we’re taking feet, and now I’ve got to convert the feet to the meters,’” Reid said. “Then, they line it up with the software, calibrate it, geofence and understand all of those factors to have a successful and safe drone light show.”

That kind of hands-on exposure is central to the Drone Cadets ethos, which started in New York and has expanded into a full-fledged after-school program. Over 12 sessions, students dive deeper — eventually learning to write the code that powers their own drone light shows.

While the version put on at Palm Springs Drone Fest was too short for coding, Reid says longer-term students build, test and review their shows. “We want them to see the show in test. And if they do see it in review, they can actually see if there are crashes or anything. And that’s what we want to prevent at all times.”

The result? A student could walk out of the program ready to launch a drone light show company in their own town.

And Reid is convinced the industry is ripe for it.

Indoor drone shows are the next market

“There’s only about five to six major drone show companies in the United States,” Reid said. “Why not have an indoor drone light show company? That’s an untapped market right now.”

The shows Reid puts on for Drone Cadets are unlike anything else in the country—indoor drone light shows that blend performance art with cutting-edge STEM. Though outdoor drone shows have grown in popularity thanks to companies like Sky Elements and Verge Aero, indoor drone shows remain rare.

A few examples include a short segment about lampshades coming to life (thanks to drones) as part of a Cirque du Soleil show on Broadway called Paramour. A few major Top 40 performers have also included drones in certain shows, including Drake and Rolling Loud.

Though indoor drone shows have to contend with issues such as potential signal interference, they’re also exempt from FAA regulations. And Reid says he believes that, yes, indoor drone shows are safe — even for kids.

“The drones have guards, yet a lot of outdoor drones have no guards,” he said.

Guarded drones, coupled with meticulous safety checks and geofencing, make indoor shows not only feasible but preferable for crowded venues like concerts, corporate events, and even theater performances.

This is literally the future,” Reid said. “So be on the lookout. If you’re not in it, you’re going to get left behind.”

Helping create high-paying jobs in tech

Beyond the spectacle and the STEM, Drone Cadets is building something far more profound: a pathway to employment and entrepreneurship for young people in underserved communities.

Reid started Drone Cadets when he was working on Rikers Island, a massive prison island in the East River housing New York City’s largest jail.

“During my time working with Incarcerated individuals there, I saw first-hand the potential that people have, even in the most challenging circumstances,” Reid wrote in a post on his website. “In my work at Rikers, I learned the value of second chances, and that belief is embedded in the heart of Drone Cadets.”

Besides just grade-school level programs, Drone Cadets offers programs aimed at older kids and adults. A Workforce Development Program provides actual certifications to help high school students and adults land drone jobs in construction, agriculture and public safety. There’s also a re-entry program focused on training formerly incarcerated individuals (as well as others re-entering the job market, such as veterans) to land a job in drones

“I am doing everything and more so they can literally see their future,” Reid said. “Start their own business. Take my jobs. Go ahead and have all the clients. There’s enough money to go around for everyone.”

For Reid, it’s not about gatekeeping the drone show industry — it’s about handing over the controls. One student, one drone, one light show at a time.

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For more behind-the-scenes of drone light shows, PS Drone Fest and other happenings in drones, follow @TheDroneGirl on Instagram and YouTube.

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