Drone Training in Virginia
Drone training in Virginia at your location, taught by FAA Certified Flight Instructors who prepare your team for Part 107 and for the airspace it will actually fly.
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 Training for Virginia’s Complex Airspace
Few states combine as many airspace considerations as Virginia. Much of Northern Virginia lies inside the Washington, DC Special Flight Rules Area. Hampton Roads is ringed by naval air stations, Army and Air Force airfields and a busy commercial port. In the west, the Blue Ridge and the Shenandoah Valley add mountain terrain and park restrictions to the planning.
Drone Universities brings drone training in Virginia to your site. Instructors teach the knowledge areas covered on the FAA Part 107 exam and show your pilots how to apply them: reading sectional charts and facility maps, requesting authorizations, and building checklists that hold up on busy job sites.
Training is available one-on-one or for groups, from a single photographer to a utility crew or a county public safety team. Instructors adapt the pace and the flight exercises to your group’s experience and the work it plans to do.
Why Choose Drone Universities in Virginia
Established in 2014
Drone Universities has taught drone pilots in person since it was founded in 2014.
On-site delivery nationwide
We send instructors to client sites anywhere in the US, so Virginia teams train where they work instead of traveling out of state.
Aviation professionals as instructors
FAA Certified Flight Instructors teach airspace and regulations, with particular attention to the special flight rules that affect Northern Virginia.
Built around your operations
Exercises can follow your use case, such as facility inspection, mapping, agriculture, emergency response or media production.
Straightforward scheduling
Request training online or call 1.818.255.0406, and we will confirm the course, instructor and site with you.
Cities We Serve in Virginia
We plan training throughout the Commonwealth, including:
Northern Virginia
Arlington, Alexandria, Fairfax and Loudoun counties, where the DC Special Flight Rules Area and the Washington Class B airspace shape almost every flight.
Richmond
The capital region, including Henrico and Chesterfield counties, near the Class C airspace of Richmond International Airport.
Virginia Beach and Norfolk
South Hampton Roads, including Chesapeake and Portsmouth, near Norfolk International Airport and Naval Air Station Oceana.
Newport News and Hampton
The Peninsula, with its shipbuilding, military installations and Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport.
Roanoke
Southwest Virginia and the Roanoke Valley, around the Class C airspace of Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport.
Charlottesville and Lynchburg
Central Virginia universities, contractors and farms, near the Class D airspace of each city's regional airport.
Is your community not listed? Get in touch and we will travel to you. Organizations with sites in neighboring states can also see our Maryland and Kentucky drone training pages. Request a course location »
Virginia Industries Using Drones
- Construction and data centers. Contractors building data centers, offices and housing in Northern Virginia and around Richmond use drones for progress records, site mapping and stockpile measurement.
- Ports and waterfront facilities. Facilities in Hampton Roads use aerial imagery for roof and structure inspection and site documentation, within each facility’s security rules and with the owner’s authorization.
- Agriculture and forestry. Farms in the Shenandoah Valley, Southside and the Eastern Shore use drones for crop scouting and drainage checks, and timber owners use them to assess stands and storm damage.
- Utilities and energy. Power, gas and solar operators inspect lines, substations and solar sites, often across rugged terrain in western Virginia.
- Research and testing. Virginia Tech’s Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership in Blacksburg is one of the FAA’s designated UAS test sites, and universities and technology companies across the state use drones for research and data collection.
- Public safety. Sheriff’s offices, fire departments and emergency managers fly drones to document scenes, support searches and assess flooding after coastal storms.
Flight exercises can be built around any of these fields, so your pilots rehearse the operations they will run after the course.
Virginia Drone Laws and Airspace Notes
- Washington, DC Special Flight Rules Area. The SFRA covers a 30-mile radius around Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, including much of Northern Virginia. Within the inner 15-mile ring, drone flights are prohibited without specific FAA authorization, which requires a TSA/FAA waiver. Between 15 and 30 miles, commercial flights are allowed when conducted in compliance with Part 107 and the current FAA NOTAM. Review the FAA’s DC airspace guidance before planning any flight in the region.
- Washington Class B and other controlled airspace. Reagan National and Washington Dulles International are primary airports of the Washington Tri-Area Class B airspace. Norfolk International, Richmond International and Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional are surrounded by Class C airspace. Class D airspace surrounds airports including Charlottesville-Albemarle, Lynchburg Regional, Manassas Regional, Newport News/Williamsburg, Langley Air Force Base, Naval Station Norfolk and Quantico. FAA authorization is required in all of these areas, usually through LAANC or FAA DroneZone.
- Trespass and critical infrastructure. Virginia Code Section 18.2-121.3 covers trespass with a drone. Among other things, it prohibits flying onto another person’s property within 50 feet of a dwelling to harass or after being told to stop, and flying without authorization over utilities, critical infrastructure including military bases, and facilities covered by the federal Maritime Transportation Security Act. It includes exceptions, such as consent from the property owner and operations that are authorized by and consistent with federal regulations.
- Local regulation. Virginia Code Section 15.2-926.3 prevents localities from regulating privately owned drones in general, but lets them regulate takeoff and landing on property they own under Virginia Department of Aviation rules. The same section states that it does not prohibit takeoff or landing by a commercial operator flying in compliance with FAA regulations.
- State parks. Virginia State Parks regulation 4VAC5-30-400 prohibits landing or unlawfully operating a drone in any park, and the Department of Conservation and Recreation states that drones cannot be flown in state parks. Contact the park directly about any commercial project.
- National Park Service sites. Shenandoah National Park, the Blue Ridge Parkway and other NPS units in Virginia are covered by NPS policy, which prohibits launching, landing or operating drones on park lands and waters except in limited, approved cases.
This is general guidance, not legal advice. Check current FAA, state and local requirements, NOTAMs and the landowner’s permission before every flight.
How a Virginia Course Comes Together
- Send a request. Use the online form or phone our team to describe what your pilots need to learn, how many will attend, where you are based and when you would like to train.
- Review the site and airspace. We assign an instructor and confirm a training site, checking the SFRA, controlled airspace and any military considerations that apply.
- Train on site. Your instructor teaches the course at your location and supervises hands-on flights where the airspace and the property owner allow.
Schedule Drone Training in Virginia
From a Northern Virginia engineering firm to a Hampton Roads public works team or a Shenandoah Valley farm, our instructors come to your location.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I fly a drone in Northern Virginia?
It depends on where you are. Within about 15 miles of Reagan National Airport, drone flights are prohibited without specific FAA authorization and a waiver. Between 15 and 30 miles, Part 107 pilots may fly when they follow Part 107 and the FAA’s DC NOTAM, including any required airspace authorization. We cover these rules in detail during training.
What certification do I need to fly a drone commercially in Virginia?
Yes. Commercial drone flights in Virginia require an FAA Remote Pilot Certificate and a registered drone. See the FAA’s guide to becoming a certificated remote pilot. Our courses prepare you for the Part 107 knowledge test.
Can a Virginia city or county restrict where I fly?
Virginia Code Section 15.2-926.3 generally prevents localities from regulating privately owned drones, but they may regulate takeoff and landing on property they own under Virginia Department of Aviation rules. That section does not prohibit takeoff or landing by commercial operators complying with FAA regulations.
Can I fly in a Virginia state park?
No. Virginia State Parks regulations prohibit landing or operating drones in state parks, and DCR states that drones cannot be flown there. Contact the individual park about any commercial project.
Where does training take place?
At your location anywhere in Virginia. Because of the SFRA, the flight portion for Northern Virginia clients may be held at a nearby site outside the restricted area. We confirm this with you in advance.
How do I book drone training in Virginia?
Request training through our online form or call 1.818.255.0406. If your site is in Northern Virginia, include the address so we can review the SFRA and airspace before confirming dates.
