Drone Training in Maryland
Drone training in Maryland delivered at your facility, job site or farm by FAA Certified Flight Instructors who travel to teams from Hagerstown to the Eastern Shore.
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
Drone Instruction Built for Maryland Ports, Farms and Agencies
Maryland has some of the most complex airspace in the country. Much of central Maryland sits beneath the Washington Tri-Area Class B airspace, and the Washington, DC Special Flight Rules Area reaches into the Maryland suburbs. Beyond the Beltway, crews inspect bridges and port facilities around Baltimore, map poultry and grain farms on the Eastern Shore and survey ridges and valleys in Western Maryland. Bay breezes, summer thunderstorms and winter winds all shape flight planning.
For Maryland crews the hardest part of drone work is often the airspace, so our instructor teaches it at your location, using the same rooftops, terminals and fields you will fly. Ground school follows the Part 107 knowledge test outline and spends extra time on the Washington, DC Special Flight Rules Area, the Baltimore-Washington Class B shelves, Chesapeake Bay weather and coordination between a remote pilot and visual observer. Practical flights then take place on your property under supervision.
Port and logistics companies near Baltimore, Eastern Shore poultry and grain growers, contractors working the I-95 and I-270 corridors, utilities, universities and county public safety agencies all train with us. Some participants are preparing for their first Remote Pilot Certificate; experienced pilots usually come for inspection, mapping or SFRA procedures. Every Maryland class also covers the state laws on correctional facilities and the State preemption of local drone rules.
Reasons Maryland Organizations Train with Drone Universities
Teaching pilots since 2014
Our programs date back to 2014, and Maryland groups get the same tested curriculum adapted to some of the most complex airspace in the country.
Courses held where you operate
Your instructor travels to your yard, campus or farm, from Hagerstown to Salisbury, so training reflects your own obstacles and airspace.
Led by FAA Certified Flight Instructors
FAA Certified Flight Instructors teach every session and explain the Flight Restricted Zone, SFRA and Class B rules from a working pilot’s point of view.
Matched to Maryland missions
Practice flights mirror the work you do, such as crane and terminal inspections near the harbor, cropland checks on the Shore or bridge and roadway surveys.
Simple booking
Request training online or phone 1.818.255.0406, and we will settle dates, group size and a legal practice area for your Maryland site.
Maryland Communities on Our Training Schedule
Our instructors regularly run courses in and around these Maryland locations:
Baltimore
Baltimore City and County organizations beneath the Washington Tri-Area Class B airspace around BWI Marshall, with Class D airspace at Martin State Airport.
Annapolis and Columbia
Anne Arundel and Howard county clients, close to BWI and within reach of the Washington, DC Special Flight Rules Area.
Montgomery and Prince George's counties
Rockville, Silver Spring, Bowie and nearby communities, much of it inside the Washington, DC Special Flight Rules Area.
Frederick and Hagerstown
Central and Western Maryland clients, near the Class D airspace at Frederick Municipal and Hagerstown Regional.
Salisbury and Ocean City
Eastern Shore clients near the Class D airspace at Salisbury-Ocean City Wicomico Regional and Easton/Newnam Field.
Southern Maryland
St. Mary's, Calvert and Charles county clients, including sites near the Class D airspace at Patuxent River Naval Air Station.
Working somewhere else in Maryland, such as Cumberland or Westminster? Send us your Maryland location and an instructor will come to you. Organizations with sites in neighboring states can also see our Pennsylvania, Virginia and New Jersey drone training pages. Request a course location »
Drone Use Across Maryland Industries
- Port, logistics and distribution. Port, warehouse and distribution operators around Baltimore use drones for roof inspection, yard planning and site documentation.
- Construction and engineering. On Maryland road, bridge and development projects, builders and engineers capture progress imagery, calculate stockpile volumes, check bridge components from a safe distance and deliver orthomosaic maps to the project team.
- Agriculture. Poultry, grain and vegetable operations use aerial imagery to scout fields and review drainage. Applying pesticide by drone in Maryland generally requires state pesticide applicator certification from the Maryland Department of Agriculture in addition to an FAA Part 137 agricultural aircraft operator certificate.
- Utilities and energy. Electric utilities, cooperatives and telecom providers inspect lines, substations and towers from the Chesapeake shoreline to the western ridges.
- Research, education and environment. Universities, laboratories and environmental teams use drones to map shorelines, wetlands and restoration sites around the Chesapeake Bay.
- Public safety. County police, sheriffs, volunteer fire companies and emergency managers use drones to document crash scenes, search shorelines and woods and assess coastal flooding or storm damage. More detail is in our police drone courses.
Instructors tailor field exercises to the industry your team supports. Maryland organizations qualifying several pilots at once often choose corporate drone training, which blends knowledge-test preparation with exercises on your own property.
Maryland Drone Rules: SFRA, Class B, State Law and Parks
- Washington Tri-Area Class B airspace. BWI Marshall and Joint Base Andrews are primary airports of the Washington Tri-Area Class B airspace, which covers much of central Maryland. Even outside the SFRA, flying in this Class B airspace or any other controlled airspace in Maryland requires FAA authorization, which crews usually request through LAANC or the FAA DroneZone portal.
- Washington, DC Special Flight Rules Area. According to the FAA, the SFRA extends 30 miles from Reagan National Airport, and flying a drone within its inner 15-mile ring is prohibited without specific FAA authorization. Part 107 flights elsewhere in the SFRA must follow the FAA rules and the current NOTAM.
- Class D airports. Class D airspace surrounds Martin State in Baltimore County, Frederick Municipal, Hagerstown Regional, Easton/Newnam Field, Salisbury-Ocean City Wicomico Regional and Patuxent River NAS. Some Maryland towers, such as those at smaller regional fields, do not operate around the clock, and the Chart Supplement lists when each Class D area is active.
- State law and correctional facilities. Under Economic Development 14-301, only the State may regulate drone operation, which preempts county and municipal drone rules. Correctional Services 8-804 bars flying over a correctional facility to photograph or record it without authorization, and Criminal Law 9-417.1 bars delivering contraband by drone.
- State parks. Maryland DNR park policies require all drone operators to contact the Park Manager before flying in a state park, and commercial photography or filming may need a permit.
- National parks and battlefields. Assateague Island National Seashore, Antietam National Battlefield, Fort McHenry National Monument, Catoctin Mountain Park, Monocacy National Battlefield and the C&O Canal are run by the National Park Service. NPS rules on uncrewed aircraft prohibit launching or landing a drone on these lands and waters without specific park approval.
This section summarizes how we teach Maryland and federal drone rules and is not legal advice. Before every flight, check NOTAMs and TFRs, current SFRA procedures, FAA guidance and Maryland law, and confirm permission with the owner or manager of your launch site.
From Inquiry to Flight Line: Maryland Training Steps
- Describe your team. Tell us the Maryland site, how many pilots need training, what they already know and the dates you have in mind.
- Confirm the plan. We agree on the curriculum and instructor and check whether your location falls inside the SFRA or the Class B shelf before the course.
- Train on site. Ground school and supervised flights take place at your facility, with the shoreline wind, structures and airspace your Maryland crew will face.
Schedule On-Site Drone Training for Your Maryland Team
Whether your team works at a Baltimore port terminal, a Frederick job site or a farm on the Eastern Shore, our instructors come to you.
Courses run from Baltimore to the Eastern Shore and Western Maryland. Reach us at 1.818.255.0406, email info@droneuniversities.com or use our contact page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do Maryland employees need a Remote Pilot Certificate to fly for work?
Yes. Commercial drone flights in Maryland fall under 14 CFR Part 107, so the remote pilot in command must hold an FAA Remote Pilot Certificate earned by passing the aeronautical knowledge test, and drones over 0.55 pounds must be registered. The FAA lays out the steps in Becoming a Certificated Remote Pilot. Our Maryland courses prepare your team for that test.
What Maryland drone laws should my team know?
Maryland reserves drone regulation to the State, so counties and municipalities cannot adopt their own drone rules, and state law restricts flights over correctional facilities and bans using a drone to deliver contraband. Contact the park manager before flying at a state park. The FAA still controls the airspace itself.
Can I fly near Washington, DC or Baltimore?
Yes, but it takes preparation. Within 15 miles of Reagan National, the Washington, DC SFRA requires specific FAA authorization, and BWI Marshall and Joint Base Andrews anchor the Washington Tri-Area Class B airspace that covers much of central Maryland. Our training shows you how to read FAA facility maps and request the authorization each location needs.
Can I fly a drone at Assateague Island?
Only with National Park Service approval. Assateague Island National Seashore is NPS-administered, and NPS policy prohibits launching, landing or operating drones there except in limited, approved cases. Assateague State Park is a separate Maryland property, so contact its manager as well.
Where do your Maryland classes meet?
At your facility or another site you pick. We have trained teams in warehouse lots, farm fields, campuses and public safety training grounds around Maryland. If your site sits inside the SFRA or is too cramped to fly, we will help you choose a practice area that works.
How do I set up training for a Maryland group?
Complete our course location request or call 1.818.255.0406 with your Maryland address, number of pilots and preferred dates. A coordinator will confirm the course outline, instructor and dates with you.
