Drone Training in North Dakota
Drone courses at your North Dakota office, farm, oil field or plant, led by FAA Certified Flight Instructors who travel to Fargo, Bismarck, Grand Forks, Minot, Williston and Dickinson.
Drone Universities Courses
5.00 (20K+ Joined)
FAA Part 107 Training
Prepare yourself for the FAA Part 107 Knowledge Test. Learn to fly, how to understand industry-standard flight systems, and most importantly, safe and legal flying practices. If you do not pass the FAA Part 107 exam after completing our training, we will either refund your training fee or retrain you at no additional cost.
DJI Mini 4K included!
Duration
$2,500
4.79 (5.4K Joined)
Advanced Aerial Inspections and Cinematography
This one-day course teaches you advanced aerial photography and videography. All classes are taught by working professionals. Learn what it takes to get great shots for clients like Discovery Channel and National Geographic.
Duration
$1,000
4.96 (2.6K Joined)
This one-day course teaches you all about GIS. You will learn everything you need to successfully collect usable data on your flights. We’ll guide you through planning and flying successful operations, programing flight patterns.
Duration
$1,000
4.87 (1.6K+ Joined)
Drones in Agriculture
Join Drone Universities’ one-day Drones in Agriculture course. Learn precision flights, multispectral imaging, and field methodology to boost crop yield. Sign up now!
Duration
$1,000
4.82 (2.6K Joined)
Drones for Public Safety and Transportation
Learn to use drones for infrastructure inspection and planning. Our one-day course improves public safety and transportation by saving time, money, and resources.
Duration
$1,000
North Dakota Drone Training for Farms, Oil Fields and Long-Range Programs
North Dakota drone crews fly in a state that runs its own statewide network for beyond-visual-line-of-sight operations. Fargo and Grand Forks teams work beside Class D airports and the Red River, Minot and Grand Forks crews plan around two Air Force bases, and Bakken oil field crews near Williston and Dickinson cover long distances of well pads and pipelines. Wind, icing and deep cold shape flight planning for much of the year.
Every course covers the FAA Part 107 Knowledge Test material in depth: charts and airspace, METARs and forecasts, loading, performance in cold weather, radio procedures and teamwork. Your instructor then runs supervised flights and mission rehearsals at your North Dakota site.
We train farmers and agronomists, aerial applicators, oil and gas operators, utilities, engineering firms, universities, county agencies and police departments. Some need their first certificate, while others are preparing staff for advanced programs. North Dakota’s warrant rule for police drones and its hunting, wildlife area and park rules are part of the syllabus.
What North Dakota Teams Get from Drone Universities
Hands-on teaching since 2014
Drone Universities has been running instructor-led drone courses since 2014, always pairing FAA regulations with practical flight time.
Training where your crew works
The instructor comes to your shop, field office, campus or farm anywhere from the Red River Valley to the Bakken, so no one spends days on the road.
FAA Certified Flight Instructors
North Dakota classes are taught by FAA Certified Flight Instructors who apply a pilot's discipline to drone airspace, weather and risk.
Built around your missions
Exercises can mirror field scouting, spray planning, well site and flare checks, line inspections or crash scene mapping.
Quick to set up
Request a course online or call 1.818.255.0406, and we will help you choose content, dates and a safe flight area.
North Dakota Cities Where We Train
On-site North Dakota courses are planned for teams in cities such as:
Fargo and West Fargo
Technology, healthcare, agribusiness and construction clients near the Class D airspace at Hector International Airport.
Bismarck and Mandan
State agency, energy and engineering clients near the Class D airspace at Bismarck Municipal Airport.
Grand Forks
University, unmanned aviation and agriculture clients near the Class D airspace at Grand Forks International Airport and Grand Forks Air Force Base.
Minot
Agriculture, energy and public sector clients near the Class D airspace at Minot International Airport and Minot Air Force Base.
Williston
Bakken oil, gas and pipeline clients in the far northwest of the state.
Dickinson
Southwest North Dakota energy, ranching and construction clients near the Badlands.
Working in Jamestown, Devils Lake or another North Dakota community? Contact our team and we will bring a course to your site. Teams that cross into a neighboring state can see our Minnesota, Montana and South Dakota drone training pages. Request a course location »
North Dakota Industries Flying Drones
- Agriculture. Wheat, soybean, canola, sugar beet and sunflower growers scout fields, map drainage and check crop stands from above.
- Spray drones. The North Dakota Aeronautics Commission requires an unmanned aerial applicator license for anyone spraying by drone, on top of FAA Part 137 and Part 107. Pilots listed on the license need commercial pesticide certification through NDSU Extension, and aircraft are limited to 500 pounds operating weight.
- Oil and gas. Bakken operators and pipeline companies inspect well pads, flare stacks, tank batteries and rights-of-way across western North Dakota.
- Beyond visual line of sight. Vantis, the statewide system run by the Northern Plains UAS Test Site, supports operators flying NDAA-compliant drones beyond visual line of sight. Solid Part 107 fundamentals come first.
- Utilities and construction. Electric cooperatives, wind farm operators and contractors inspect lines and turbines and map construction sites.
- Public safety. Police, sheriff’s and fire agencies use drones for flood watch along the Red River, search operations and crash scenes. Our police drone training programs cover those missions in detail.
Let us know which industries your pilots support and we will shape the exercises around them. For larger North Dakota groups, corporate drone training brings certification prep and applied flying together.
North Dakota Drone Law and Airspace Overview
- Class D airports and bases. North Dakota has no Class C airspace. Class D airspace surrounds Hector International in Fargo, Bismarck Municipal, Grand Forks International, Minot International and the Grand Forks and Minot Air Force Bases. Part 107 flights inside need FAA authorization, typically through LAANC or FAA DroneZone; the Chart Supplement lists tower hours.
- Police drones and warrants. Under NDCC chapter 29-29.4, law enforcement generally needs a warrant before using a drone for surveillance, and police drones may not carry lethal weapons.
- Hunting. NDCC 20.1-01-31 makes it unlawful to use a drone to interfere with a lawful hunt or to disturb wildlife in order to disrupt one.
- Wildlife management areas. NDAC 30-04-02-22 bars operating a drone on a state wildlife management area unless the Game and Fish director or a designee authorizes it.
- State parks. Under NDAC 58-02-08-16.1, drones may not be flown on North Dakota Parks and Recreation Department land without the director’s or deputy director’s authorization.
- Tribal lands and federal sites. Get tribal government permission before flying over reservation land. Theodore Roosevelt National Park, Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site and Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site follow National Park Service policy, which prohibits drone launches, landings and flights except in limited, approved cases.
This is a general overview, not legal advice. Before each North Dakota flight, confirm current FAA, state, tribal and local requirements, check temporary flight restrictions and get the landowner’s permission.
From Request to Training Day in North Dakota
- Contact us. Complete the request form or call with your North Dakota site, the size of your crew, current experience and target dates.
- Agree on details. We propose a course and instructor and review your airspace and flight area so classroom time and practice fit together.
- Learn in local conditions. Your instructor teaches on site and supervises flights in the wind, cold and airspace your pilots work in.
Plan Drone Training for Your North Dakota Crew
Whether your team is in a Fargo office, a Bakken field office or on a farm near Minot, we bring the course to you.
North Dakota questions? Phone 1.818.255.0406, send a note to info@droneuniversities.com or use the contact page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do commercial drone pilots in North Dakota need an FAA certificate?
Yes. Paid and business drone flights in North Dakota follow the FAA’s Part 107 rule, which requires the pilot in command to hold a Remote Pilot Certificate after passing the FAA knowledge test, and the drone to be FAA registered. The FAA’s page on becoming a certificated remote pilot explains each step. Our North Dakota training is built to get you through the exam.
Which North Dakota laws affect drone pilots?
North Dakota requires warrants for most police drone surveillance, prohibits using drones to disrupt lawful hunts and requires authorization to fly on state wildlife management areas and park land. Drone spraying needs a state applicator license. The FAA still regulates the airspace.
Can I fly near Fargo, Bismarck or Grand Forks?
Within their Class D airspace, only after FAA authorization. The Fargo, Bismarck, Grand Forks and Minot airports, plus the Grand Forks and Minot Air Force Bases, have Class D airspace. Approved altitudes can be low near the runways, so we teach facility maps and authorization requests.
Can I fly at Theodore Roosevelt National Park or a state park?
Not without approval. NPS policy bans drones in Theodore Roosevelt National Park except in limited, approved cases, and North Dakota Parks and Recreation land requires authorization from the director or deputy director.
Can training happen at our North Dakota location?
Yes. We teach at offices, farms, oil field sites, plants, campuses and public safety facilities throughout North Dakota, and we will help find a practice area if needed.
How do I schedule a North Dakota course?
Send a course location request or call 1.818.255.0406, and we will confirm the instructor, course, site and dates with your North Dakota team.
