This is my first post since I joined this blog. I hope here are some great friends to make. I am from Namibia, where the drone industry is still very untapped I believe. I am a complete novice when it comes to drones, but am seeking to start educating myself as much as possible to get into the drone industry for commercial use.
Can you please advise me which courses one should look and which courses one can do online. I am also interested in becoming a drone technician to repair drones. There is a Drone Academy in my country where I will possibly do my RPL course. So basically what I want to know is, how can I additionally equip myself in the best way with online courses?
I hope this question is clear and I appreciate any feedback.
Regards
Neels
Hi. Welcome. I’m from Kenya and the drone industry here is also in it’s infant stage. I got my RPL from a local school. But to gain some skills, start with QuickAssTutorials on YouTube. To learn more on photography and commercial drone use, try Drone to 1k, drone launch academy, and Drone U. To learn about drone assembly and repairs, follow people like Oscar Liang’s website or Joshua Bradwell on YouTube especially for FPV
Welcome to the forums @INam69, great to have you here.
What an exciting time for you. Being at the early/untapped stages of drone life is a very unique position to be in and I’m personally excited for you.
When I first started thinking about taking my love of drones to the next level and starting commercial work, there were indeed a few things I did to get myself ready for the undertaking. It is great you asked about courses and whatnot to take, as many of the courses you take will eliminate much of the guesswork and growing pains the many drone operators before you had to figure out.
The 1st piece of advice I’d have for you is to fly as much as possible, prior to even getting into the commercial side of drones, regardless of what niche or industry you will be supporting. Having industry knowledge is great, however, having practical stick time is a necessity. It’s almost like those who graduate college and go into a certain field with just book knowledge and no hands-on experience, as opposed to those who enter a job with little to no college experience, but years and years of experience.
Secondly, in regard to the courses to take, my personal favorite (and I’m sure others here have their choice picks as well) would be Pilot Institute. I had the opportunity to get in on their courses ground-floor when the co-founder Greg R. was on Udemy. Even back then, the course was fantastic. Since getting my 107 so many years ago, I still log in to refresh myself on some of the outlying things I might need to brush up on for work. Pilot Institute keeps all of its information and courses up to date. Even though it is tailored for Part 107 Operators in the US, much of the information applies to many countries, such as weather, airport operations, reading maps, drone balance, pilot attitudes, and the list goes on.
We’d be interested to follow your journey, so please don’t be a stranger!