Drones give Harmar elementary students glimpse at future job skills

Rikki Haas and Elizabeth Pribanic were at school Tuesday but had their eyes in the skies.

The duo — as calm and as focused as could be — were operating drones outside the gymnasium of Acmetonia Elementary School in Harmar after school.

The 11-year-olds were able to maneuver their drones to fly higher than the school and spin around to the tune of a humble buzz.

“You can see things up high that you can’t normally see,” Rikki said, referring to the drone’s tiny camera.

The students are part of the new drone club at Acmetonia, which started meeting about a month ago. About 50 fifth and sixth grade students expressed interest in the club, and each after-school session has about a dozen students.

“We teach them to be responsible,” said Bob Ochsenhirt, the club adviser and a physical education teacher. “Some of the kids have drones at home, but they don’t know how to use them.”

Students got advice Tuesday from guest Mike Landers, a drone pilot for New Kensington-based Eye-bot Aerial Solutions and a 2006 Springdale graduate.

“Drones give a lot of visual insights across a lot of industries,” Landers said. “They’re more than just a photo or a video.”

Earlier in the day, Landers spoke to Springdale High School students about drone flight and the burgeoning industry around them.

“This wasn’t an industry when I was their age, and it’s going to be different when they get into the job market,” Landers said. “Having a baseline of drone flying is going to help them tremendously if they want to get into the drone industry.”

Recreational drone pilots can earn a “TRUST certificate” from the Federal Aviation Administration by passing a general knowledge test, making them eligible to fly certain types of drones, Ochsenhirt said. He encourages his students to earn those certificates.

The drones Acmetonia students operated were about 10 inches long and wide and weighed under 250 grams, just under 9 ounces. Drones lighter that that don’t need to be registered with the FAA.

Drone operators must have a commercial drone license from the FAA to fly professionally. That also requires passing a knowledge test and registering as a drone pilot with the FAA.

According to the federal Transportation Safety Administration, 8% of Americans own drones. Sixty-three percent of drone registrations with the FAA are for recreational use, while 37% are for commercial operations.

Landers recommends children use “kid-safe drones” that have guards around a drone’s propellers. He also stresses the importance of operators knowing their surroundings and setting up landing zones.

“The kids pick it up like a video game,” Landers said. “Sometimes, they do it quicker than adults.”

Ochsenhirt said the drones were provided by Springdale High School through federal covid-19 Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funding.

He said knowing how to operate a drone can set students up for future success, especially as technology continues to advance.

“There are job opportunities for the future,” Ochsenhirt said. “Right now, it’s just fun for them, but it might turn into a job.”