High school girls take flight as drone pilots
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A Pittsburgh-area program is training high school girls to become FAA-certified drone pilots, giving them a leg up in one of aviation's fastest-growing fields.
Why it matters: The multibillion-dollar drone industry now reaches nearly every sector, from infrastructure inspection and agriculture to emergency response and filmmaking. Yet women remain underrepresented among commercial drone pilots.
Driving the news: High school girls in the latest Fly Like A Girl (FLAG) Drone Academy cohort put their skills to the test this week at South Fayette High School as some prepare for the Federal Aviation Administration's Part 107 Remote Pilot Certification exam required to fly drones commercially.
How it works: Certified instructors teach aviation safety, airspace regulations, weather, mission planning and drone operations through classroom lessons and hands-on flights with professional-grade drones.
- The curriculum includes 25 hours of coursework and five to 10 hours of independent review.
- Students explore real-world drone careers through guest speakers such as law enforcement, private pilots, and the teams behind drone shows for Kennywood and the Pirates.
What they're saying: Incoming seniors Ishi Gupta and Anagha Sreejith — recent FLAG graduates and now FAA-certified drone pilots — each plan to study engineering after graduation and say they expect to put their drone licenses to work soon.
- "I want to do photography around the school for the sports teams, and some people have said real estate photography would be fun," Gupta said.
- "After you get your license, there are so many [available] engineering internships," Sreejith said.
- The exam focuses on safe airspace operations and sound decision-making, not physical flying skills, they said.
The big picture: The free academy aims to expand opportunities for young women in aviation and STEM. It's supported by the PNC Foundation in partnership with several Southwestern Pennsylvania school districts, the Allegheny County Airport Authority and Pittsburgh Drone Services.
- Since launching in 2023, the program has trained five cohorts of 10-15 students from four Western Pennsylvania counties. This summer's participants split their training between South Fayette High School and Pittsburgh International Airport.
By the numbers: Women now account for about 9% of all certified remote pilots, per FAA data.
What's next: Gupta and Sreejith are returning this week to assist the newest cohort.