This year’s Fly Like A Girl Drone Academy’s first in-person learning session is about to takeoff October 2. The application window was open until September 20, but if you missed it—don’t worry. There’s always next year.

There are seven Drone Academy lessons: five in-person and two virtual. Fly Like a Girl (FLAG) Drone Academy’s seven “tentative dates” are October 2, 9, 23, November 6, 12, December 4, and 9.

The goal of FLAG’s Drone Academy is to help get more women into the male-dominated field of aviation. According to CBS Pittsburgh, as of 2023, only 8 percent of the aviation workforce is female.

Fly Like a Girl Drone Academy is designed to help high school girls over the age of 16 prepare for the coveted FAA Unmanned Aerial Vehicle license exam. This license has been in high demand in recent years and can lead to future employment.

The curriculum consists of 25 hours of course work taught by a certified instructor and 5–10 more hours of independent review. The course work includes “both theory and and hands-on instruction” through a mix of in-person and virtual lessons.

In-person lessons take place at South Fayette High School in Allegheny County where students are able to apply what they’ve learned from their lessons to fly drones.

“Instead of working at an ice cream shop over the summer, or perhaps being a lifeguard, [girls] can actually fly drones, they can work for a real estate agent, they can work for roofing companies . . . really, it’s limitless what they can use for their summer jobs,” said KDKA-TV on CBS Pittsburgh, reporting on last year’s Fly Like a Girl Drone Academy.

Mrs. Lori Guandolo is the BASD staff member sponsoring local students interested in the academy, but the district’s technology coordinator Mr. Shay is also FAA certified.

Only 20 applicants in total from the region were accepted for the fall academy. This year, only one student from Beaver Area has applied for the course: senior Olivia Booth.

When asked about what she was hoping to get from this experience, Booth said, “I really wanted to be in more clubs and have more going on in school. I hope to learn more about drones and learn more about flying drones. I learned that they are used for finding abducted children in the sense they have cameras on them.”

Another senior, Madison Mooney, took the FLAG course last year, and she is set to test for her FAA certification in the coming months.

Mrs. Guandolo hoped to see more applications for the program this year because she believes it is a great way to get more women in the aviation industry: “I wish more girls took advantage of this great opportunity,” she said.