VETERANS DRONE TRAINING PROGRAM

The VDTP provides veterans the opportunity to train, prepare, and test for an FAA Part 107 Commercial Drone Pilot License and assists veterans with their pursuit of film and aviation industry jobs, including securing jobs on the production team of a veterans-centered TV series, Heroic Episodes.

In the first phase of the program, veterans will receive classroom instruction addressing FAA regulations, operating requirements, and procedures for flying drones. In the second phase of the program, veterans will participate in hands-on flight lessons. In the final phase of the program, veterans will prepare for the FAA 107 certification exam and attend career readiness coaching sessions.

As the saying goes, “The sky’s the limit,” and such a saying could easily serve as the VDTP’s motto. The program effectively positions veterans to rejoin the workforce as commercial drone pilots in the film and aviation industry. The program also ventures beyond practical, tangible benefits to provide intangible benefits that standard drone pilot license courses lack, an approach that fosters post-traumatic growth. The program’s design reflects the understanding that post-traumatic growth can be facilitated in many ways, including disclosure of traumatic experiences, narrative development, and service.

As veterans advance through the program, VDTP empowers them to grow in an empathic environment, to reshape their life narratives in a way that enables healing, and to serve as mentors to other trauma survivors. It is Lisa’s hope that VDTP graduates will realize positive changes, explore new possibilities for a better quality of life.