Braden River High School's drone program takes off

Austin Bankuty received a drone when he was 10 years old, and he spent lots of time flying it.

But he didn’t have the training or knowledge to do anything with the drone other than fly it straight, so eventually he put it away. 

Now Bankuty, a sophomore at Braden River High School, has passed the Unmanned Safety Institute’s Drone Safety Level 1 course so flying a drone is a lot more interesting, and fun. Bankuty knows how to safely and successfully operate a drone, including more difficult exercises like flying a figure eight or taking videos using it. 

Bankuty, along with 15 other Braden River High students, passed the safety course, which brings them one step closer to being able to fly drones commercially. 

Mark Patula, an engineering and robotics teacher at Braden River, said the school’s drone program was able to take off this year after struggling from its inception three years ago. Patula said the curriculum was too difficult for students who were beginners.

Then the pandemic hit, and the school couldn’t offer the drone course at all. 

This school year, and after students who were interested practiced on their own, Patula helped them through the course, which taught all the safety rules and regulations.

“(The class) gives them another new opportunity to do something they could possibly do in the industry or in their future careers,” Patula said. 

Patula said Braden River High School is the only school in the School District of Manatee County providing students the opportunity to use the curriculum. 

Next school year, students who passed the Drone Safety Level 1 course will move onto the second course, which focuses on piloting drones. 

Upon completion of the Unmanned Safety Institution’s program, students will be able to fly drones commercially.

Dylan Jackson, a junior who passed the course this past semester, said having the certifications from the Unmanned Safety Institute will open doors to various career opportunities that involve drones.

“There’s a lot of potential for drone usage, and it can help you be a valuable asset,” Jackson said. 

Potential jobs using drones could include real estate photography, construction, video photography and digital photography.  

Patula said the Unmanned Safety Institution has a portal in which companies can seek applicants who have received their certifications. 

The class spent time making videos using drones, which was freshman Allan Tran’s and sophomore Kyler Wade’s favorite part of the semester. 

Wade and his project partner, sophomore Jordan Janeck, made a video of a staged fight scene. 

“It was cool because me and my partner got to come up with ideas for a day,” Wade said. “Then when we came up with the one to focus on, we could actually work on it. (The video) was like what you’d actually see in a movie theater or in a professional video.”