The eAviation & Drone Academy's purpose is to provide the Hampton Roads, Virginia community a central and convenient location to conduct classroom and flight training for workforce development purposes focused on the demands in the emerging UAS and Electric Aviation marketplace.
Three Core Focus Areas
- Unmanned Aviation
- Prep for FAA Part 107 UAS Operator Exam
- Specialized Training for Select Use Cases
- FBO Operations
- Efficient FBO Operations for Today’s General Aviation Market
- Electric Aviation
- Preparing the Labor Force for Aviation “Green Technologies”
Our Academy also support AAM Academic flight research from major universities, colleges, and schools.
Our Mission Statement
The Academy will establish a Drone & Electric Aviation Training Curriculum that meets industry workforce development needs in 2024:
- Established at the Hampton Roads Executive Airport (KPVG);
- To develop further industry, academia, and governmental stakeholder partnerships;
- Initiate and expand our three core focus areas: drones, FBO operations, & advancing technologies;
- Provide significant regional expansion to support additional AAM capabilities;
- Support on-site & virtual enrollments.
Our Vision
By 2026, the Academy establishes a vocational-focused workforce development service(s) and training location at the Hampton Roads Executive Airport (KPVG) centrally located in Chesapeake, Virginia.
Our focus is to support emerging Virginia transportation employment demands targeting industry innovation, capacity, and growth for Mid-Atlantic Region implementation of electric air & unmanned vehicle services.
Drone Training / Workforce Development
6 Courses to Earn a Certificate:
- Part 107 Prep Course - Required
- Manual Flight Course - Required
- Autonomous Flight Course - Required
- Drones for Photography and Videos - Elective
- Drone Components and Repair (Build a Drone) - Elective
- Cooperative Education or Internship – Elective
- Introduction to Advanced Air Mobility – Elective•
Included:
- Drones are provided for use during class
- Open lab time on campus to fly drones, work on projects, using software
- Tello Drone loan program to practice at home
Not Included:
- Cost to take the FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certification Exam ($175 must be taken at a FAA Testing Center)
The Academy: Potential Strategic Partnerships
- Academia
- Example: ODU (VISA, VMASC, Batten College of Engineering)
- Example: High Schools, Community Colleges
- UAS Manufacturers & Operators
- Example: DroneUp, AAC, XWING, NEA, Uvision, RapidFlight, etc..
- Local:
- Example: City / County First Responder Communities
- State:
- Example: VIPC/DOAV (AAM Innovation Projects)
- Example: VEMD (Emergency Management)
- Federal:
- Space Act Agreement
- Multi-Agency (NASA, Army Futures, KPVG, USI)
- NASA BVLOS Experimentation, NextGen ROAM Command Center
- Army Local UAS test and demonstration location… LOS thru BVLOS, small to large
- A satellite extension of the Fort Eustis aviation developmental facility
- Support for Advanced Teaming, Logistics UAS / Optionally Piloted