GRAND Magazine- Winter 2020 - 16

tech talk
new coordinates to send the drone on
its way again. Weight currently is limited
to carrying up to three pounds worth of
packages.
In some pilot programs a tether is
used to transport the package (See how
Sugar Magnolia bakery delivers treats
as part of the DOT pilot). In the future
you might have a drone delivery lock box
next to your mailbox. "Drones could be
equipped with the passcode to open the
box and drop in your delivery, and then
have it close again with your packages
locked safe and sound inside," Rapier
suggests.

Jobs now and in the future

Rapier is a licensed pilot, flight instructor and commercial drone pilot (whose first granddaughter turned
one last November). He co-founded RBS to help train
people for the jobs of tomorrow. RBS trains people to
take the Part 107 Drone Pilot Certification Training, a
prerequisite for flying a drone commercially and earning money. The minimum age to apply for a license
is 16. "Years of playing x-box and video games is
great training for a career as a drone pilot for young
people," says Rapier.
Captain Mark Stevenson, another co-founder of RBS
Drone Technologies, Inc., thinks that older adults are
the most likely to benefit from drone technologies.
"And not just because you won't have to go out in the
cold if you run out of a prescription. But there are great
jobs!" he says.
16 GRAND

JAN., FEB. & MAR. 2020

a side nod at the number of individuals who
hire people to follow their spouses. "That's
lucrative work." He's also averted a would-be
robber by sending his drone out after hearing
someone in his yard. "It worked better than
my dog."
The drone pilot training course at RBS is
eight hours and includes two hours of hands
on training. "That plus a couple days of studying is all it takes to get a license," says Captain
Mark.
Once the FAA eases the "visual line of sight"
regulation requiring a pilot to always be able
to physically see their drone," the opportunities will explode. "There will be many drone
jobs that can be done from inside your car or
even your house," says Captain Mark.

Now a grandpa to 17 (ages 5 to 25), What are other current uses of drones?
Captain Mark is building a second
Drones will get safer and easier to fly every day with
things like obstacle detection and collision avoidance
career and living the drone life.
sensors and even more precise GPS.

Captain Mark, as he is known is a United States
Coast Guard 100 Ton Master Boat Captain. He first
got his drone pilot license to make inspecting his
ship easier. "It was more efficient to send my drone
around the ship to inspect for damage before sending
two people out in a boat," he mused. "Plus, if anyone
forgot a tool or needed more supplies, the drone
could easily bring them."
Now a grandpa to 17 (ages 5 to 25), Captain Mark
is building a second career and living the drone life.
"I do drone photography and security," he says, with

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DEANNA SHOSS, CEO Intercultural Talk, Inc.,
helps non-digital natives promote their businesses or life projects with digital, intercultural
and real-life marketing. Deanna writes for National Diversity Council and is the tech columnist for GRAND (ital). Learn more InterculturalTalk.com

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GRAND Magazine- Winter 2020

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