Greater Latrobe teacher introduces junior high students to drone career options

Future graduates of Greater Latrobe School District may one day be providing an eagle eye’s view of crop fields for a farmer, real estate for a surveying firm or power lines for a utility company.

“There is a high demand for drone pilots in many different disciplines,” said Greater Latrobe science teacher AJ Haberkorn. As part of an introductory junior high Flight and Space course, he’s helping to launch interested students into a career path that could include operating the remote-controlled devices commonly called drones and formally designated as uncrewed aircraft systems.

“Part of the flight component is a lesson on drones,” Haberkorn said of the elective course he teaches to students in grades 7 and 8. “I’ve been flying some indoor miniature drones with my students.”

Aviation-related instruction is set to take off this coming school year at the senior high, with a new “Aerium” curriculum developed in conjunction with the nonprofit Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. At the same time, Haberkorn is looking to expand drone experiences for students at the junior high.

Haberkorn is on track to have 120 students participate in his Flight and Space course, matching the previous year’s enrollment. He also wants to offer drone activities to any interested student at the school during Wildcat Time, a flexible midday period for study or extra instruction.

“We’ll be able to have students come in and get some hands-on done experience indoors,” he said.

As weather allows and complying with flight restrictions surrounding nearby Arnold Palmer Regional Airport, Haberkorn eventually wants to get students outside on school grounds with a full-size drone.

“We have some decent drone space, especially at the athletic complex at the back of the school,” he said.

Haberkorn now has access to two standard-size drones. One was purchased through a grant from the Greater Latrobe Partners in Education Foundation; the Aerium organization provided another when Haberkorn attended a summer workshop on drone instruction at Indiana University of Pennsylvania that was co-sponsored by Aerium.

The drone offered by Aerium is equipped with a powerful camera. “The remote control has a digital readout and a built-in screen where you can see what the camera sees,” Haberkorn said.

He took part in the workshop along with 14 other teachers from among eight high schools across the region. It was led by John Benhart, a regional planning professor at IUP who also is director of the university’s Unmanned Aircraft Systems Certificate Program and serves on the Aerium board.

“The teachers attending the workshop estimated that they teach approximately 1,750 students during a typical school year,” Benhart said. “That is 1,750 students who will learn about career opportunities in aviation, the science and technology that underlies drone systems, and who perhaps will enter learning pathways that lead to an aviation career. We are making progress in meeting this important workforce need.”

At Greater Latrobe, students who take Aerium courses will get an introduction to aviation topics and engineering design in ninth grade and will learn about aircraft performance and systems in 10th grade.

Yet to come, during the second semester of their junior year, students will choose whether they want to focus on airplane pilot flight planning or operating drones — separate tracks that will continue into their senior year.

“We’re proud to be at the forefront of STEM education by integrating drone technology into our curriculum,” said Join Mains, assistant to the superintendent for secondary education at Greater Latrobe. “The Aerium program, starting in our junior high Flight and Space Course, is designed to nurture the next generation of aerospace innovators. Students will be able to take drone courses at the senior high level beginning in the 2025-2026 school year.”

Haberkorn’s junior high course also gives students an early look at airplane aviation, including sessions using a flight simulator program.

He is planning to complete required testing to obtain professional drone pilot certification under Federal Aviation Administration guidelines and noted the Aerium program is meant to prepare students to do the same.

“What experts see happening is getting a professional pilot certification as a micro-credential for your job, whether it’s in construction, engineering or agriculture,” Haberkorn said.