Wings of Hope Hosts Fall SOAR Into STEM Session 4: Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles

By Carmelo Turdo

Wings of Hope hosted Session 4 of their SOAR Into STEM Program Saturday at the McClure South-Berkeley High School STEAM Academy. The theme of this session was Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). The students were introduced to the world of commercial and military UAVs, designed their own landing pads and flew camera-equipped quadcopters through an obstacle course using an app. Leading the final regular session in this series was Robert Powell, Education Coordinator for Wings of Hope with help from a host of volunteer mentors.

The morning activities began with a presentation by two experts in the field of Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles. Bronwyn Morgan is the Founder and CEO of Xeo Air, a Part 107 UAV services company, and Airversity Drone Academy, a UAV consulting and training company. She is a leading voice in the commercial UAV applications and gave the students insight into the current and future markets for UAV operations. Elsa Klarich, already known here as a humanitarian services pilot based in Tanzania, is also an accomplished commercial and military contract UAV pilot. Her current project is the development of a UAV to autonomously deliver medical supplies in Ecuador. 

After lunch, the student teams were issued their UAVs, the Tello EDU app-based, camera-equipped quadcopter. After the students created their helipads and once communication with the UAV was established, a buzzing swarm took to the air. After a little practice, most of the students were landing on their pads and some made it through the hoops of the course.

Session 4 concludes the formal Spring SOAR Into STEM Program, though there is more in store for this class. A career fair is scheduled for the morning of Saturday, November 12, and Discovery Flights will be provided by Elite Aviation that afternoon (weather permitting). The Aero Experience thanks everyone involved with the SOAR Into STEM Program, and we will continue to support this and other STEM programs throughout the coming year.