Pictured, from left, are Lucas Ransbottom and Cale Wise, Warsaw Community High School seniors who earned the FAA UAV certification. Photo provided by Warsaw Community Schools.

Press Release

WARSAW — Two students from the Warsaw Area Career Center recently passed the Federal Aviation Administration Part 107 UAV Certification exam and have now applied for their UAV commercial licenses.

Lucas Ransbottom and Cale Wise, both Warsaw Community High School seniors, are now certified by the FAA to fly and operate small drones. To become certified, students must be at least 16 years old and pass a knowledge exam at an FAA-approved knowledge testing center. The exam covers a wide range of topics including: drone regulations, emergency procedures, radio communications, airport operations, and maintenance. Agricultural drones can precisely monitor crop growth patterns and swiftly detect any potential issues, such as disease outbreaks or pest infestations.

The WACC launched the new Precision Agriculture pathway during the 2023-24 school year. Courses in this pathway include: Principles of Agriculture, Precision Agriculture, and Crop Management. The Precision Agriculture class is designed to introduce students to various facets of modern agricultural operations including: GPS, GIS, and VRT. Jacob Riley, course instructor, completed additional trainings at Ivy Tech Lafayette to instruct these courses for college dual credit. He is also certified by the FAA to fly unmanned aerial vehicles.

“Students earning this certification have opportunities to start right away in many career fields such as agronomy, animal agriculture, turf and golf course management, and real estate, being able to have direct hire options. Many companies and organizations have asked for this type of class pathway and Warsaw Area Career Center is pleased to be able to fulfill that community need.”