Sinclair Community College Sees UAS Payoff in Future Jobs

(Source: Dayton Daily News)  

Sinclair Community College has invested millions of dollars in southwest Ohio’s unmanned aerial systems industry in advance of an anticipated job boom.

The downtown Dayton college has become a key part of a regional strategy to train a UAS-ready workforce.

“It’s a major element in our overall strategy,” said Maurice McDonald, Dayton Development Coalition executive vice president of aerospace and defense. “Training and education and certification of people to be able to operate (and) to be able to maintain these systems is a key element.”

Last week, Sinclair added another piece to its expanding program of new facilities, curriculum and equipment when it announced the college’s field house will serve as the largest indoor unmanned aerial vehicle flying range in Ohio.

Sinclair has spent more than $5 million since 2009 on curriculum, flight simulators and a fleet of more than 50 mostly small UAVs. The school has won approval from the Federal Aviation Administration to fly three large drones at both Springfield-Beckley Municipal Airport and Wilmington Air Park. The community college also has asked the FAA for permission to fly more large drones above the Miami Valley.

And, during the next two years, Sinclair will open the $5 million National UAS Training and Certification Center in a renovated campus building. The state has contributed $4 million to build the center.

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