Register by August 2, 2024 for Early Bird Price

7 DAY ALL INCLUSIVE TRAINING  EXPERIENCE FOR DRONE PILOTS
June 1st - June 9th, 2025
At a beautiful luxurious aerial retreat in the Rocky Mountains of northern Colorado
For Drone Pilots Who Want the Confidence to Fly Close...Fly Low...Fly Smooth in Challenging Environments, and Turn Those Skills into High Paying Recurring Revenue Clients

Focusing on Construction Industry Deliverables - A Massive Opportunity Awaits

Our first three Experience Training events sold out in less than a week; and it's time to take flight again! Our all-inclusive 5-day training paired with a 2-day competition will challenge you, inspire you, and prepare you.

In this unique training event, limited to no more than 10 participants, you will be immersed in an experienced-based learning environment. You'll take flight daily and often, and you'll master cutting-edge drone techniques along the way. You'll learn from experienced pilots who've been where you're trying to go; and you'll build repeatable systems to scale your business.

Your home for the week

Venue for the May 2024 Event - The June Event location will be the same or similar.
You will be one of a few pilots who will spend an entire week flying, learning, and mixing with the Drone U Flight Crew. Think of this training as a drone retreat..… as we'll hang out together at a resort style mountain location. Through the use of scenario-based missions, one-on-one coaching, and a competitive (but fun) environment, participants will expand their skill set and join the ranks of an elite group of drone pilots who command top dollar for their sought-after skills.
 
This Experience training event in Colorado will be focused around Construction Deliverables and marketing. Construction based drone missions typically encompass the most popular deliverables, including 2D Georeferenced Mapping, Cinewhoop Fly through Videos, Aerial Videography, Aerial Photography, Video & Photo Editing, Ground gimbaled shooting, interview filming & More.  Every class you would need to compete in construction media, solving technical problems while learning to tell the story of solving those problems.  

This experience training will dive deeper into the workflows of complex 3d modeling as well. As many companies are turning point clouds into animations and sales presentations… We want to show pilots how they can create unique deliverables that will Wow their clients and convert them into recurring revenue customers.

NEW for this years event:  a Cinewhoop module that we are super excited to offer.  These platforms offer an incredible opportunity to add tremendous value to your clients.

Join our featured trainers, including Paul Aitken, Brandon Hess,  Jake Levesque, Izzy Mohamed and others as they share the secrets that have made them successful. They’ll personally walk you through real-world drone job scenarios, challenging your piloting skills in an effort to help you grow beyond what you thought possible.  All culminating with a friendly (but serious) competition between all student pilots with great prizes and bragging rights at stake.  What would a drone training be without a gamified challenging drone mission?

Here is a Sneak Peek into this Training Event...
  • ​​Stay in a beautiful Rocky Mountain location in Colorado (within a 2 hour drive of the Denver International Airport) with our flight training crew for an action-packed event full of cutting-edge drone training and a ton of fun. 
  • ​Enjoy a week of networking with like-minded pilots. Create life-long memories while you create life-like models. Engage with other pilots, share stories, and learn from each other's experiences, while building unique skills to grow your business.  5 Days of Flight, 8 Total Classes. Learn the skills to pay the bills, and also have marketable media to grow your own business/career. 
  • Using scenario-based missions, you will learn the operational systems you need to scale your business from start to finish.
  • ​Learn advanced photography, videography, mapping, and photogrammetry techniques geared towards the construction industry.  Including subjects like: Photography from the air AND ground, Photo editing using stacked HDR imagery; Short form video editing; Mapping in both 2D (orthomosaics) and 3D; and more. The SKILLS you need to crush your competition on a regular basis.
  • ​ Learn the art of cinewhoop or drone tours... so you can get amazing fly-through shots that will blow your clients (or your boss) away.
  • ​​The training will culminate in the student pilots competing in a real-world drone mission.  Pilots will be tasked with generating a series of deliverables to complete and present by Sunday Morning. The deliverables will be presented to the Drone U flight crew with a winner selected.  We'll also have a "Fan favorite" winner as voted on by fellow pilots.
  • ​ALL lodging and meals for the week are included with your ticket.
  • ​Enjoy your own bedroom and amazing meals prepared with fresh ingredients.  We want to ensure you are comfortable and well fed so you are at your absolute best for learning.
  • Learn from experienced and successful drone pilots with lot's of one on one and time on the sticks.
  • ​Join long time Drone U client Josh Marriott from The Weitz Company.  He will be on hand the second half of the week.  He's the Director of VDC & Field Solutions for Weitz and offers an amazing opportunity to learn from a leader in the use of UAS in construction.

Drone U Experience Training Adventure

Drone Classes & Courses Hosted During Experience Training

  • ​Flight Mastery: Ensure your operational systems are set and you have the confidence to fly in close proximity. 
  • Aerial Videography: Ensure you can confidently fly 10-12 different motions on a single battery to be used for any production
  • Aerial Photography: Master the art of capturing stunning landscapes, aerials and Panos. Learn framing, camera settings, shooting AEB and how to create the most value drone media...Panos. 
  • ​Ground Videography: Learn how to use Gimbals to capture stunning slow-mo shots and detail shots to augment any video you create. (last year all students received a free DJI Gimbal.) 
  • ​Aerial Hyper-lapse: Learn how to use the 4 different methodologies of creating aerial hyperlapses to showcase the progression of construction projects, changes over time and learn a valuable skill to market any project. 
  • Drone Mapping: Learn drone mapping systems, systems of acquisition, basic geo referencing and how to process maps and models to create actionable data in construction. Learning Pix4d and ESRI's Site scan. 
  • ​Cinewhoop / Drone Tours: learn how to fly through buildings, through confided spaces to visually showcase the progression of a site or tour a facility. This immersive video style is difficult to fly, but once mastered offers stunning marketing media. 
  • Video Editing: Master the art of turning your footage into a story using Final Cut Pro.  We'll cover basic editing fundamentals, using plugins for text, animations, and transitions. 
  • Photo Editing: We'll cover how to edit aerial photos, how to stack AEB imagery to create HDRs, we'll showcase templated means of editing photos at Scale. 

The Most Immersive Training Experience We Have Ever Offered
This is the most intensive, thorough, and unique training experience we’ve offered to date.  The curriculum and structure has been designed to optimize learning, retention, practical application and a fun, safe environment.
 
From the flight exercises to the drone flight challenge and every conversation and meal in between, this is a drone retreat you will never forget. It will also fundamentally evolve your skills and confidence to a level you didn't think was possible. 

Starting with an intense day of Flight Mastery training and culminating with five days of instruction on how to get the most out of your drone and business. Rest assured you will walk away having had one of the most productive and fun weeks of your life. A week that will change the trajectory of your business, and therefore your life, forever. 

You will enjoy the camaraderie of other top drone pilots, receive personal coaching time from instructors experienced in the field, and leave with the knowledge and confidence you need to take your drone business to unimagined levels.
  • This training will fundamentally shift the way you service clients, produce better deliverables (more efficiently), and operate autonomously in your business. 
  • ​Discover what it takes to find, and land, desirable drone jobs and provide exceptional deliverables that will keep your high-end clients coming back. 
  • ​Take your business from one-night-stand jobs to a recurring revenue stream so you can enjoy greater autonomy and freedom.
High-Level Flying, Photography, Mapping, and Modeling Skills
This training was designed to test your true ability to work in a technical and creative field. You will mimic a real-world example of creating and delivering media for construction & engineering companies to provide a deliverable in a tight time span. Your skills will be tested and you'll come away with the confidence to tackle even the most complex customers and engagements.

Examples of student work from the May 2024 Event

Stay and fly in one of the most beautiful place on earth.

Spend one-on-one time with the experts throughout the week.

Meet like-minded drone pilots who may end up being one of your best partners. You'll certainly learn from each other.

Learn new skills in a challenging, yet safe, environment.

Learn the photography and editing  principles important for creating the best maps and models

Learn the advanced skills and techniques that will empower you to create deliverable sophisticated Construction companies require

Eliminate MONTHS or even YEARS of Struggle and Shorten Your Learning Curve
This Elite Experience Based Training is like having a personal coach working with you to ensure your success. Over the course of a week, you’ll be taking flight more than you ever thought possible. Following the perfect practice model and concluding with the flight challenge.
  • ​Put your learning into action with real-world exercises and missions to complete deliverables.
  • ​Learn how to produce high-quality deliverables and test your skills alongside other like-minded and driven drone pilots. 
  • ​​Make mistakes in a safe and fun environment and immediately correct them thereby shortening your learning curve and gaining confidence.
  • Have your deliverables evaluated by a committee composed of the course instructors and the client. 
  • ​​Receive critical, and immediate, feedback on your work so you come away with practical experience you can grow from.
  • ​​Cut down YEARS of struggle and quickly understand what’s working now in the world of drones.
  • ​Learn best practices on how to automate your client retention and service systems to keep them engaged long after the job is completed.
  • ​Learn from experienced pilots who have faced some of the most challenging operating environments. Teachings you can only find at Drone U.

NOT Your Average Classroom!

As a bonus, you will be creating incredible assets you can use in your own reels and marketing materials to win new business.
Exceptional Experience-Based Photogrammetric Training
If you struggle to sell your drone services and feel like you are underpaid, this training has the answers. 
 
Learn how to create rapid orthomosaics, georeferenced orthomosaics, point clouds, 3d models and other valuable deliverables.  
Learn from Certified Photogrammetry Instructors. 
 
Pilots will have the opportunity to process deliverables and exercises we have never taught before during any of our other classes.  Students will also have access to software licenses for training. 
 
For this experience training, we will focus on unique deliverables being demanded by multinational construction companies. The kinds of deliverables we guarantee your competition is not providing -- and you'll be providing them at unparalleled quality.

We’re going to teach students how to create one of the most valuable deliverables in construction - point cloud hyperlapses. Students will have access to data taken over 6 months. Students will learn how to create point clouds and 3d meshes each week. Then students will learn how to create video animations and mimic the exact same video motions on each map. Students will then learn the video editing techniques to make these hyperlapses shine.

Creating orthomosaics is easy, but if you want to stay ahead of the competition, learn the advanced tips that it takes to turn simple data like orthos into deliverables that will wow clients. Learn from experience and skip the learning curve.

Remove Your Psychological “Money Barriers” and Feel Confident to Charge More
All of us have these hidden money barriers when it comes to charging clients. Result? We often charge less than what we truly deserve. In this course, Drone U instructors will reveal their modus operandi and insider secrets to getting high-paying jobs. 
  • With the knowledge and confidence you'll gain, you will be able to remove any “money barriers” and gain the confidence to charge what you truly deserve.
  • ​​You will come away with so much confidence that you'll be chomping at the bit to go sell your services.

All Inclusive Price (Courses/Resort/Food): $7,997 ($7,497 after Early Bird Discount of $500)

It All Boils Down to Freedom
Living the drone life is within your reach.
 
And there are certain ground rules and guiding principles you need to have in place to make it happen. 
 
At the end of the day, “Living the Drone Life” is all about doing what you love, meeting the kind of people you enjoy, and having lots of fun flying drones - all while being very profitable. 
 
When you complete this training, you will leave with a firm understanding of the systems necessary to deliver for your business at scale. 
 
You will experience a renewed sense of freedom that feels so REAL. 
 
Freedom to pick clients of your liking, freedom to do what you enjoy, and freedom to spend time the way you’ve always wanted. 

An All-Star Instructor Lineup 
Paul Aitken
CEO and Chief Mentor, Drone U
This training is based on Paul's extensive work with one of the largest hotel/resort conglomerates in the world - Marriott. Paul discovered that even skilled drone pilots miss the mark when it comes to selling their services and getting paid for what they truly deserve. This training will finally help you cut the chase and get the shortcuts to build a truly valuable drone business. 

Jake Levesque
Full-time Firefighter and Cinematographer
Let's just say Jake is a rare breed.  The star of the fireman calendar, kitten saver and incredibly creative photographer and cinematographer.  He's been contributing to the lives of Drone U folks for years and anytime we can snag him to instruct our students we jump on it.  Trust us, you want to spend time learning from Jake.
Izzy Mohamed
Drone U Elite Instuctor
Let's talk drone pilot experience.....it will include Izzy's story.  In the past six years his drone pilot career has gone nuts.  He's done a bit of everything, including commercial real estate work, multiple types of inspections and most recently, complex modeling for various applications, including for the Metaverse and large corporate clients like Red Bull.

Izzy brings an incredible array of experience that he looks forward to sharing at this event.  

Instructor Lineup Subject to Change

 Seven Reasons Why You Don't Want to Miss this Training
  • The drone industry has become super-competitive and requires that you take the actions necessary to stay several steps ahead of your competition.
  • ​Recurring revenue can be a game-changer for your drone business. After this training, you will have the know-how to win recurring revenue-based jobs from high profile clients. 
  • ​The construction industry in particular is starting to "get" the power of UAS and the MANY powerful applications available to them.  From project progress, to investor interest to marketing for new client acquisition and more.
  • ​Your deliverables will stand out from the ordinary drone pilots. You will be able to DO things with your drone VERY FEW pilots can imagine. Your clients won't desert you for cheaper options or the cousin who just bought a drone. 
  • ​Ultimately, you will have more time for the things you love...flying, being outdoors, hanging out with family & friends, and working with the clients you love to work with. 
  • ​You will save months or even years trying to figure out the sales and marketing systems that work. This is your opportunity to accelerate growth and take your business to the next level. 
  • ​Your instructors will include pilots who are currently either working for or creating incredible deliverables for the customers you'd be thrilled to have.  They have figured out how to be a part of this massive opportunity, and will show you how to do the same thing.
How we'll spend our time together...
(Schedule subject to change)
  • ​​Day 0 (Sunday): Arrival, meet and greet cocktail event. Arrive at the training location, check-in begins at 6:30 PM. ​​
  • ​Day 1 (Monday): On day one, you'll be debriefed on your mission and the week ahead (Pay close attention, pilots can gain an important advantage of gathering media over the week to then present as a part of the competition). We'll have advanced flight mastery training in order to get everyone's blood flowing. The second half of the day will include a sunset mission on aerial photography and we'll conclude the day by practicing with sunset based exercises scattered throughout the property at various locations. This way pilots can better understand the decision making matrix for acquiring the best video.  And of course....we'll have a great dinner together.
  • ​​Day 2 (Tuesday): Pilots start the day learning mapping basics. We’ll cover rapid orthomosaics and the principles of geo-referencing and the relationship between acquisition strategies and mapping deliverables. We want to ensure you all have a solid foundation as this will be pertinent to creating the required deliverables. We'll then do a deep dive on Sitescan & Pix4d and how to leverage the mapping capabilities. We’ll end the day with a flight exercise for sunset to allow students to practice what they’ve learned. This will be another opportunity to acquire media for the competition.
  • ​Day 2 Has an added benefit, we will be going over how mapping and modeling media will be used for VDC in the future. We will be showcasing how drone models + Ai can be used to calculate project status, timelines and completion. 
  • ​Day 3 (Wednesday): Day three will be spent learning the nuances of using smaller drones to develop your service offerings.  This is where we start to dive into story telling, turning your technical data into marketable media.  We'll dive into Cinewhoop, using the Avata 2 and completing flight exercises through the forest and trees. We will also be going over Aerial Videography & Hyperlapse media with the DJI Air 3/3s/Mini 4 pro.   We'll be in and out today balancing classroom time with lot's of flying. 
  • ​Day 3 (Evening session) Will be spent teaching pilots how to get the most out of aerial photography. Focusing on sunset shots, workflows for mastering the short window of time, the right settings and exploring how to get additional imagery. 
  • ​Day 4 (Thursday): Since construction is our experience training theme, this is where we go deep on construction deliverables. We'll dive into video production and of course several exercises to support the theories and strategies learned. Discover the tips, tricks, and hacks Jake and Paul use to provide professional level video. Video exercises will commence on the ground and for interviews, showcasing a complete workflow for video production.   As with the other days, there will be a lot of flying time putting concepts learned into action.
  • Day 5 (Friday): This is a very important day.  While understanding video and photography productions, including how and when to get the best shots as well as understanding exactly what construction companies are expecting, putting it all together is where the money is made.  Today will be packed with video editing instruction, including lot's of hands on collaboration with instructors.  Keep in mind, this is setting you up to be successful in the competition coming up the next couple of days.  
  • ​Day 6 & 7 (Sat - Sun): Saturday will start with a lovely breakfast and safety briefing. Pilots will be instructed on the different stations of drone missions they will have to complete that day to capture essential footage to complete the competition. Each station is tailored to help pilots acquire a particular asset that will be used in their overall deliverable for the competition. Pilots will be tasked with creating video, photos, an ortho and a 3d model of a structure. Students will present their deliverables to the judges at 9am Sunday.                                                                                                                            
  • ​Plan on leaving later in the day Sunday.  Judges will be reviewing student submissions and then all deliverables will be presented to all pilots.. Pilots will have a pilot's choice video and award for the best pilot.  Lunch will be served and students can plan on leaving around 2pm on Sunday afternoon.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who can attend this training event?
Interested pilots should be intermediate to advanced in order to get the most value from the week. 
What’s not included in the program fees?
Cost of airfare, insurance, and transportation to and from the event location is not included in the program fees. 
What equipment should I bring for the training?
Your drone (or drones), laptop with minimum 8 GB RAM and corresponding accessories to the training. Make sure you have enough equipment to complete a full-scale mission.
What’s your cancelation/refund policy?
Due to the cost of putting on the event and the related commitments we have to make:
- 100% refund on or before April 20rd, 2024 (less $250 cancellation fee)
- 50% refund on or before May 1st, 2024 (less $250 cancellation fee)
- No refunds on or after May 10th, 2024

Any amount not refunded per the policy above will be credited and available to be used on other Drone U events and/or products (limitations may apply).
Is there an early bird discount?
If you sign up on or before Monday, May 2, 2024, you are eligible for an early bird discount. Early bird discount subject to availability of spots. 
Does the early bird price apply if I choose the Payments option?
Absolutely.  As long as the initial payment is made by August 2, 2024, you'll pay the early bird price even though the remaining payments will occur after August 2nd.
Can I transfer the registration to another person?
Unfortunately not. We carefully select participants based on individual evaluation. Hence, we do not allow transfer of registration to another person. 
Can I bring a guest to the event?
Unfortunately, due to space limitations, participants may not bring a guest.
Will I have my own bedroom?
Yes!  Every participant will have their own room. We understand that a big part of this event is the lodging accommodations. We make every effort to make this aspect of your adventure restful and as private as you'd like it to be. 
Is the price lower if I choose to stay off site?
We're unable to offer price reductions due to a couple of important factors: 1) The venue chosen for the event is resort style and will cost the same regardless of whether 10 people stay or 2 people stay; 2) A significant benefit of the event is the exchange of ideas and relationships built, much of which will occur in the evenings as discussions continue beyond normal class time; 3) We've limited the number of participants to just 8 which leaves a small margin for these types of price adjustments.
What if I have diet restrictions?
No problem. Let us know what they are and we'll do our best to accommodate your needs.  We will send out a survey prior to the event which will include a question about any dietary restrictions.

Interested in learning more? Email us at [email protected]. 

Or, Schedule a call by filling out this form and we'll ensure all of your questions get answered.

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