Undergoing training in any industry can be tough – making it crucial that the right training environment is provided to maximise learning opportunities and ensure each student is prepared for the real-world application of their newfound knowledge and skills.
It’s no different with drone pilot training and with the vast amount of technical and practical training that is required to be able to transition successfully into the drone industry, we are dedicated to seeing all of our students thrive in a learning environment tailor-made to see them thrive.
So What’s Better – In-Person, Virtual or Online Drone Pilot Training?
Piloting a drone is a skill that requires significant practical training. Whilst it has been typically recommended that drone pilot training only be conducted face-to-face, the pandemic saw industries, businesses and learning institutions across the globe have to pivot towards virtual or online learning to survive.
Now that face-to-face learning is re-entering many learning institutions around the world, it’s important to understand what style of training is better – in-person, online or virtual.
Blended Approach to Drone Pilot Training
Ideally, a blended learning approach to drone pilot training is the best way forward. Whilst nothing will ever replace the many benefits of face-to-face training, there is something to be said about making sure that there is easily accessible content online.
Alongside our in-person training, we also offer an online portal that is available to all students and allows them to watch videos, read important documents and a vast array of other activities to be completed at their own pace.
Hands-On Learning for a Hands-On Industry
One of the major advantages of our drone training program is that it’s offered in person. Whilst understanding the advantages and disadvantages of virtual or online training, we know that for such a hands-on industry, hands-on learning is the best training experience anyone could have.
It’s simple enough to sit down behind a computer and run through a simulation but put yourself in a training field with a real-life situation, and the learning you receive accelerates significantly.
Face-to-face training makes for a much better training experience which allows you to have the confidence required to pass your assessments and overall, will send you out into the real world knowing that you’ve had the opportunity to receive hands-on training that isn’t achievable via purely learning virtual or online.
A blended approach is still recommended, but it is to be set up so that online learning supports in-person learning. There are a significant number of advantages to face-to-face training – we’d know, we’ve trained many successful drone pilots.
Ability to Interact With the Trainer Face-to-Face
We’ve all been there — sitting in a virtual meeting or class trying to ask a question but being cut off by an unreliable internet connection or simply just not being seen. Being in a physical training space with the trainer right in front of you means that open discussions can be accessed in a much easier manner.
Nothing can ever replace an in-person conversation and discussion between trainer and student.
Answers When You Need Them
Learning via an online space can often leave you with questions that require in-depth answers. Rather than having to waste precious time waiting for the information you need to proceed, face-to-face learning allows you to ask questions immediately and receive thought-out answers on the spot.
Learning at Your Own Pace
Within a physical room, our trainers can read the room much better than in a virtual space and as such, can take time with topics that the students might be struggling with. Face-to-face learning affords the trainers the ability to gauge the overall feel within the room and be able to match the pace accordingly.
To help you learn more effectively, trainers can go deeper into topics that may be harder to grasp and can ensure that each student understands the topic before moving forward.
Collaborate Easily With People Around You
A face-to-face learning experience encourages you to collaborate with others around you and to interact with the trainer. This environment strengthens interpersonal skills and relationships and allows you to learn via other student’s learning styles and look at the content from their perspective.
Being able to learn in this manner provides a platform for students and trainers alike to have healthy discussions and learn new skills and knowledge along the way. As much as there are benefits to online learning, it truly cannot replicate this learning-enriched environment.
In-Person Interaction With the Drones
In theory, it’s all good and well to look at a drone online and see the 2D model, look at its makeup, and investigate the inner workings of the drone. However, it’s only knowledge that can be learnt in theory. There needs to be a practical, hands-on understanding to drones – which can only be achieved through face-to-face learning.
Being able to physically pick the drones up, visually understand them and appreciate the weight, size and makeup of the drone is simply not an aspect that online training can replicate.
Again, approaching this with blended learning is helpful but there will always need to be a setting in which you are able to physically examine the drones, read maps and charts, and gain a full appreciation for the amazing pieces of technology the drones are.
Increased Focus and Decreased Distractions
Being able to be in a physical, face-to-face learning environment allows for the chance to limit the amount of distractions that you are presented with. Rather than needing to attend to household chores and trying to concentrate whilst also multitasking, you’ll be able to direct all of your focus and attention towards learning how to be the best drone pilot possible.
Likewise with internet issues or other online learning problems that may pop up, being in-person mitigates these online issues. It’s a struggle to be able to learn efficiently when your internet connection is unstable and unreliable, so being able to learn in person effectively solves these problems.
Build a Network of Drone Pilots
In-person learning opens up the world of networking and allows you to efficiently interact with the people around you – people who also possess a keen interest in becoming a drone pilot. Building bonds, relationships and community with like-minded people is arguably one of the most important benefits of face-to-face learning.
You’ll be in a room full of people who are all interested in the same thing and outside of that learning environment, you’ll have the chance to build on these new relationships by grabbing coffee, or lunch, and getting to know each other in an environment designed to cultivate strong relationships and effective learning.
Face-to-Face Drone Training is the Tried and Tested Way to Learn
We’d know – we’ve seen many drone pilots enter our doors and graduate, going on to have successful careers working in an industry that they love. Providing a blended approach to drone pilot training has meant that we know exactly how to ensure that all students thrive in a learning environment tailored to their specific needs.
If there’s one lesson that has been reinforced after the pandemic, it’s that there’s very little, if anything, that can replace the many benefits of face-to-face interactions.
We have seen time and time again how our drone pilots have flourished after being in an in-person training environment, under the guidance of our highly experienced and qualified instructors, and being able to build those bonds with their peers and teachers.