Lee CTE students earn commercial drone pilot license

Having learned the ins and outs of flying drones, five second-year students in the class recently earned their commercial drone pilot licenses. They traveled to Olive Branch to complete the Federal Aviation Administration Part 107 exam last month.

Tommy Towery, a senior at Mooreville High, has always been interested in aviation and feels experience gained in the class will help in his career.

He has already been accepted into the U.S. Air Force Academy and hopes to become an astronautical engineer.

In the meantime, Towery takes photos of sunsets and landscapes with a drone he owns and plans to venture into real estate photography now that he has earned his drone pilot license.

Instructor Noah Bass began teaching the Unmanned Aerial Systems class when the Lee CTE center opened in November 2021. It's one of eight career pathways offered at the center.

In year one, students begin learning the basics of flying using simulators before they head outside for hands-on experience. They learn FAA rules and regulations, build quadcopters and learn programming along the way.

During the second year, they spend the first nine weeks preparing for the FAA Part 107 exam. Through the remainder of the year, students will continue to research and fly different types of drones while learning about different drone uses including crop surveying, 3D modeling, mapping and topography.

Lee CTE's drone class was the third such program established in the state, Bass said, and it's a monumental moment for the program to have its first cohort of students earn their commercial certification.

Xander Patterson, a Mooreville High School junior, enrolled in the class because he plans to work in forestry, an industry that uses drones to survey land, monitor the health of trees and detect forest fires with thermal imaging.

Along with foundational flying skills, Patterson said he's learned about regulations and how to build a drone, which has helped him learn to repair them too.

Samira Gates, a Shannon High School junior, knew that drone piloting is a growing industry and joined the class out of curiosity.

She hasn't yet decided what career path she'll pursue but has considered starting her own drone photography business.

With a commercial drone pilot license in hand, it's a real possibility — one that she wouldn't have otherwise considered had the class not been offered at Lee CTE.