03 October 2023

Warren Community College in New Jersey is collaborating with drone flight training and consulting firm CrossFlight Sky Solutions to enhance the college’s acclaimed drone training program with the company’s leading-edge curriculum materials.

The South Carolina based firm, which offers drone services, consulting, and educational training modules, is working with the college’s WarrenUAS drone training program to strengthen and strategically update its offerings in fundamental drone operations, where the technology, practices and regulations are changing rapidly in the booming industry.

“We have built our program from the ground up and have gained national recognition for our training, but it was important to us now to work with other leaders in the field to add expertise, evaluate our approach and keep up-to-date in this incredibly fast-moving field,” said Will Austin, who is on sabbatical through December 2023 as president of the college in part to head up and manage the widely respected drone training program during these critical years of growth. “CrossFlight is a great source for the latest in drones and drone education and can really bolster what we believe is one of the best programs in the country here.”

Mark Howard, chief operating officer at CrossFlight, said the company, which has worked with hundreds of educators and private firms across the country to fine-tune their training structures, sees the relationship with WarrenUAS as “a win-win”.

“We know that we can provide the college with the latest information and training techniques based on the knowledge of out experts here at CrossFlight, who are working with drones and drone training continuously,” he said. “But we also rely on clients like Warren to help us understand what is needed for students in this field and what they are seeing in the industry. It is part of building a community where we share the latest thinking about educating these professionals.”

Austin says working with CrossFlight allows his faculty to focus on instruction and the individual students rather than developing and continually updating coursework.  CrossFlight serves as a platform for WarrenUAS staff to gather cutting edge information from CrossFlight itself and their many other clients.

“Combined with the expert faculty we have assembled an array of technology we have collected, this gives our students the best, most current pathways to safe and skillful drone operation and the certifications they need. It really gives them a step-up as they develop their careers in the field,” said Austin. “When we combine the expertise of CrossFlight, Embry Riddle, AUVSI, Unleashed, DronelogBook, Pix4D, ESRI, Wingtra, Censys, Pitsco, and all our strategic partners, we are able to be confident in our claims of developing one of the most comprehensive drone training curriculums for the industry.”

CrossFlight was founded by Jerry Whittaker, a former pilot and air traffic controller, who saw the need for safe operation of unmanned aircraft as the drone industry began to grow – and as it became clear that the technology would increasingly play a key role in a wide range of industries.

He wanted to make sure drones were operated safely and he saw the opportunities for the growth of unmanned aircraft flight in fields ranging from real estate, construction and utility management to product delivery, agriculture and entertainment.

“Jerry’s goal was to provide an on-ramp for young people and veterans in aviation while making the skies safer, Howard said. “This vision struck a chord nationally with many of our clients who wanted trained Part 107 pilots quickly to meet their needs.”

CrossFlight, which also provides drone operations and consulting services, has the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Aviation Administration as its clients along with nearly two dozen educational institutions. Other clients include local governments and law enforcement departments, and environmental organizations, surveying firms, resort communities and businesses in real estate, manufacturing, and agriculture.

“Drones are touching every segment of our economy, and we are helping organizations who need to increase their staff knowledge and certification to safely and efficiently operate the technology or for institutions who are training students to enter the workforce in this incredibly fast-growing field,” Howard noted.

Warren has access to CrossFlight’s mix of Part 107 drone training curriculum packages, along with modules that cover NIST emergency services advanced flight training certification for first responders and even safe operations of recreational drones.

Warren has become a leader in the industry for drone training, offering what Howard notes is probably the biggest collection of drone technology for student use at any educational institution in the country. It expanded its space for training in drone design, operations and maintenance and other robotic technology with the addition of two new facilities including the new Dr. Joseph Warren Robotics Research Center and its enrollment has grown over 400% in three years and is already nearing capacity a single year after its last facility expansion.

Warren Community College is internationally recognized as New Jersey’s best drone college with a world class training site serving both students and the industry. WarrenUAS has the most drones for student use with real world projects embedded in the education that provide graduates with knowledge and practical experience. 

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