WCCC partners with national group to provide drone flight training to vets

Warren County Community College hosted exercises recently at its highly regarded drone training facility for a rapidly-growing nonprofit that provides veterans with exposure and professional certification to find careers in the booming sector.

Vets to Drones, a non-profit that in about four years has offered training to hundreds of veterans and first responders, chose the college’s drone training program, WarrenUAS, for its most recent regional training for the mid-Atlantic

“This was a natural fit for us,” said Peter Miller, chief pilot at WarrenUAS. “We greatly value our men and women who have served our country, and we also want to expand the safe, effective use of drones by trained professionals. Vets to Drones has developed excellent pathways for veterans to explore and find new careers in this rapidly expanding field. Hosting them made perfect sense.”

The regional training, one of a series sponsored by Vets To Drones (V2D) throughout the nation, took place July 22-23 at the WarrenUAS Washington, NJ, facility.

V2D was founded in 2023 as a non-profit with the goal of providing veterans, transitioning service members and first responders exposure to drones and fundamental training along with full certification for the required federal Part 107 credential needed to fly drones professionally.

It’s currently providing training to about 1,400 and adding about 500 learners each month, and it has expanded its offerings to include a wide range of learning opportunities online and at leading colleges and other training facilities, now in 12 states and growing. About 600 are currently taking the Part 107 commercial operations training

“When service members transition out of the military, many are left asking what comes next,” said Ben Poulin, V2D director of operations. “Vets to Drones answers that question with training, community, and a clear path into one of the fastest growing sectors in the country.”

The free training and certification it offers can lead to careers in fields ranging from emergency services and law enforcement to public utility management, agriculture and real estate.

“Our learning is continuous, and in-person events like the one at WarrenUAS run alongside our online academy and are open to members at any stage,” Poulin said. “Warren, which we knew had an exemplary program, gave our members real airtime, real instruction, and real hiring conversations with potential employers for trained pilots.”

He said WarrenUAS provided opportunities for flight along with classroom and lab instruction and information about the job market and tips on the preparation necessary to enter the field.

“This event is an opportunity to bring veterans together for a day of learning, honing skills, networking, and camaraderie with fellow veterans, transitioning service members and first responders looking for a next step and new direction,” Miller said.

WarrenUAS has become one of the leading training programs in the country for students wishing to develop, fly and maintain drones. It has developed state-of-the art flight, classroom and lab facilities and acquired more than 90 unmanned system for students to gain experience with.

It holds rare FAA Part 107 waivers for operations over the public, night operations, and beyond visual line of sight, plus a 44807 exemption for flying heavy drones over 55 lbs to provide its students those experiences.

It also has developed specialty training in drone use for agriculture and environmental monitoring and a new counter-drone program to help professionals better understand the technology and how to handle threats from its illicit use.

Through V2D, more than 600 students have gotten their flight certification, using its online training and hands-on learning in connection with facilities like WarrenUAS.

It is finalizing a formal agreement with Warren to collaborate in the future, adding the college to a list of industry leaders from fields such defense, public works, real estate and agriculture who are partnering with the non-profit.

The Warren event and others like it have helped the organization to build connections to those leading players in the industry and to develop regional chapters in New England, the Pacific Northwest and Northern California, with interest building in other regions.

Poulin noted that members also get discounts on equipment and access to scholarship funds to advance their training. V2D also focuses on member exposure to the following:

• Workforce Development. FAA Part 107 certification prep, NIST standards training, hands-on flight

scenarios, mentorship, and direct job placement support.

• K-12 STEM Gateway. Introducing students to drone technology and aviation career pathways.

• Natural Disaster Response. Mobilizing trained veteran operators for mapping, search and rescue, and damage assessment missions.

• Conservation. Applying UAS to environmental monitoring, survey, and land management work.

Recreational Therapy. Using drone flight as a tool for connection, focus, and com