What DARTdrones does

DARTdrones, founded in 2014 by Abby Carroll and headquartered in Park City, Utah, is a U.S.-focused drone training company that prepares individuals, enterprises, public-safety agencies, and educational institutions to operate commercial drones. The core curriculum centers on FAA Part 107 exam preparation, hands-on flight instruction on DJI Mavic/Phantom/Inspire platforms, and specialized applications including aerial mapping and modeling, inspections, refinery operations, disaster response, and search and rescue. Courseware is delivered across three modalities — online (hosted on the Litmos learning management system), live virtual workshops, and in-person classes — with the latter offered in approximately 30-40+ U.S. cities and supported by a network of 45+ flight instructors who are credentialed manned-aircraft pilots (airline transport, military instructor, or commercial) as well as commercial drone operators. Proprietary assets include the Drone Training System planning tool, a 300-question Part 107 practice bank, AUVSI TOP Level 1/2/3 instructor certification pathways, and a Part 107 Money Back Guarantee; the curriculum has been collectively built and refined across more than 10 years and 150+ hours of content, with more than 25,000 pilots trained and 15,000+ students having passed the Part 107 exam using DARTdrones test prep.

DARTdrones serves four primary customer segments: aspiring individual drone pilots (consumer/self-serve), enterprise and corporate clients with named logos spanning Walmart, Phillips 66, NASA, FBI, Tesla, IBM, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Pfizer, Disney, CNN, NBC, Comcast, Allstate, Dell, Raytheon, Berkshire Hathaway, and Caltrans; public-safety and government agencies including the U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force, DHS, CIA Global Response Staff, Chicago VA Police, Southern California Edison, Consolidated Edison, Verizon Frontline, and the National Transit Safety Board; and high schools and colleges adopting Career and Technical Education (CTE) curricula through direct sales and a November 2024 channel partnership with DEPCO. The company is privately held, founder-led, and bootstrapped — no outside institutional funding is publicly disclosed despite the Shark Tank appearance in May 2014.

Revenue is generated via one-time course fees ranging from $19.99 (Drones for Beginners) to $3,725 (Aerial Refinery Inspections), with the flagship Professional Wings Program priced at $1,649; plus negotiated enterprise on-site training engagements, CTE curriculum licensing, drone consulting services (SOPs, program development), and prepaid training credits/gift cards. The go-to-market combines sales-led enterprise field sales for large corporate and government engagements, direct e-commerce for individual learners through dartdrones.com, community-led referrals through a 65,000+-member enthusiast network and alumni platform (PilotHub), and a content-marketing engine (blog, e-books, organic search, email newsletter). The headcount comprises 11-50 core employees supported by ~45 flight instructors acting as pilots/contractors across the country, and the company is operating actively as of the most recent reports.

Name

DARTdrones

Legal name

DARTdrones LLC

Website

https://dartdrones.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

DARTdrones is a U.S.-based drone training company delivering FAA Part 107 certification prep, hands-on flight instruction, and specialized enterprise drone programs across 30-40+ cities. It serves individual pilots, corporations, public safety agencies, and high schools through CTE curricula.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Drone Pilot Training Services

NAICS

Flight Training (611512)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Aviation & Aerospace (EDABALAC)

Keywords

• Drone pilot training
• FAA Part 107 prep
• Drone certification programs
• Aerial inspection training
• Drone education services

Headquarters

HQ city

Jessup

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices21 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Individual Course Fees: One-time fee-based courses ranging from $19.99 (Drones for Beginners) to $3,725 (Aerial Refinery Inspections Workshop), with the flagship Professional Wings Program priced at $1,649. Covers online, in-person, and virtual live workshop formats.
2. Training Credits / Gift Cards: Prepaid training credits that can be applied toward any online or in-person class, providing flexible gifting and deferred enrollment options.
3. Enterprise / Custom On-Site Training: Custom drone training programs delivered on-site at client organizations (Phillips 66, U.S. Army, FBI, Southern California Edison, etc.), with pricing negotiated per engagement.
4. High School / CTE Curriculum Licensing: Licensing of DARTdrones CTE drone curriculum to schools and workforce development programs, including the Train the Trainer program and per-student course delivery.
5. Consulting Services: Drone consulting services for organizations looking to build or optimize their drone programs, including policy development, SOP creation, and pilot management.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

DARTdrones delivers drone pilot training, certification preparation, and continued support for individuals, enterprises, public-safety agencies, and educational institutions. Offerings span in-person classes in 30+ U.S. cities, live virtual workshops, online self-paced courses, custom on-site enterprise programs, and a licensed high-school/CTE curriculum, anchored by FAA Part 107 test preparation and hands-on flight training on DJI platforms.

Product overview

DARTdrones is a drone training company offering a comprehensive portfolio of courses and services across multiple delivery formats (in-person, online, virtual, and enterprise). The core offerings include Part 107 test preparation courses (both in-person at $670 and online at $250), hands-on Basic Flight Training ($580) covering DJI Mavic, Phantom, and Inspire drones, and the Professional Wings Program ($1,649) which bundles these with Real-World Flight Planning & Execution. Specialized add-on modules include Aerial Mapping and Modeling Workshop ($1,490), Aerial Inspections Workshop, Aerial Refinery Inspections Workshop ($3,725), Disaster Response ($299), and aerial photography courses ($100). Enterprise solutions encompass the Drone Training System, On-Site Custom Training, Consulting, and Pilot Hub platform. Education solutions include turnkey High School/CTE curriculum programs with courses like Intro to Drones and Train the Teachers. The company also offers Training Credits as gift card vouchers. Training is delivered in over 30 cities nationwide, and the company appeared on ABC's Shark Tank.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Professional Wings Program Comprehensive professional drone pilot package bundling hands-on flight training, in-person FAA Part 107 test preparation, and real-world flight planning and execution for aspiring professional drone pilots.
• Basic Flight Training (Mavic, Phantom, Inspire) In-person hands-on flight training course teaching students to fly DJI Mavic, Phantom, or Inspire drones through flight sessions and classroom instruction led by expert instructors in 40+ U.S. cities.
• In-Person Part 107 Test Preparation Full-day in-person classroom training with expert pilots preparing students for the FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot knowledge exam; includes online access to Part 107 content.
• Online Part 107 Test Preparation Comprehensive online self-paced test preparation course for the FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot knowledge exam, with a 300-question practice bank and a Money Back Guarantee on the FAA retest fee if eligibility criteria are met.
• Real-World Flight Planning & Execution Program 14 scenario-based e-learning courses covering interactive sUAS flight issues and emergency scenarios to prepare pilots for real-world mission readiness.
• Aerial Mapping and Modeling Workshop Two-day in-person workshop that develops the skills needed to gather, analyze, and export aerial mapping and modeling data for careers in aerial mapping and modeling.
• Aerial Inspections Workshop Two-day in-person workshop developing the skills needed to fly, gather, and analyze aerial roof and structural inspection data for careers in aerial inspections.
• Aerial Refinery Inspections Workshop 5-day intensive advanced workshop developing the skills required to fly drones for refinery inspection missions, typically for oil-and-gas and energy clients.
• Disaster Response Course Online course teaching how to assist with sUAS operations in disaster or emergency situations while ensuring compliance with federal, state, and local restrictions.
• Starting a Drone Business Online course covering strategy, marketing, finding customers, operations, legal issues, and insurance for individuals starting a drone services company.
• Online Aerial Photography Course Online course teaching how to use a drone camera to capture aerial imagery and video; no prior photography experience required.
• Drones for Beginners Entry-level online video-based course answering the most common questions about drones for those new to the drone industry.
• Aerial Search and Rescue Course Online drone training course focused on aerial search and rescue operations for public-safety pilots.
• Drones Safety Certificate Online safety certificate course for drone pilots covering operational safety practices.
• Drone Training System™ Proprietary systematic and custom drone training plan generator that helps organizations build a tailored, scalable drone training program.
• On-Site Custom Training Customized drone training delivered on-site at client locations for enterprise and government organizations, with pricing negotiated per engagement.
• Drone Consulting Services Expert drone consulting services for organizations developing or optimizing drone programs, including policy development, SOP creation, and pilot management.
• High School/CTE Turnkey Programs Turn-key curriculum packages for high schools, colleges, and workforce development programs to teach drone courses, including Intro to Drones, Advanced Real-World Drone Missions, and Train the Teachers programs.
• Intro to Drones Course for High School Students Introductory drone course specifically designed for high school students, covering drone opportunities, careers, and FAA certification readiness.
• Advanced Real-World Drone Missions Advanced drone missions course for high school students, building on the Intro to Drones curriculum for Career and Technical Education pathways.
• Train the Teachers Program Professional development program that trains educators to teach DARTdrones drone courses in their own high school and college classrooms.
• Training Credits Prepaid training credit vouchers that can be applied toward any online or in-person class, including gift card format for gifting training; not valid on private lessons or corporate trainings.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 25,000 pilots trained, with 65,000+ members in the broader drone enthusiast community.
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers28 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• DEPCOcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 6 November 2024DARTdrones partnered with DEPCO to bring drones to more classrooms across the country. DEPCO distributes DARTdrones' CTE drone training program and turn-key curriculum to high schools and educational institutions nationwide, enabling DARTdrones to scale its education vertical through DEPCO's established distribution network.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• Skydio: Skydio provides drone training resources for its autonomous enterprise and public safety drone platforms. It is comparable to DARTdrones' enterprise/public safety use cases but as an OEM rather than an independent training provider.
• DJI (DJI Academy / DJI Training): DJI, the dominant drone OEM, offers its own training content, tutorials, and workshops to drive adoption of its platforms. It is an adjacent training provider whose free or subsidized content competes for entry-level drone pilots DARTdrones targets.

Direct peers

• Drone U: Drone U runs in-person and online drone training, mapping, and business courses aimed at commercial drone operators. It is comparable to DARTdrones' mapping, inspections, and business-launch offerings for working pilots.
• Unmanned Safety Institute: Unmanned Safety Institute delivers standardized drone operator safety training and certifications, including programs adopted by public safety agencies and workforce programs. It overlaps with DARTdrones' public safety and enterprise training offerings.
• Pilots Institute: Pilots Institute (formerly UAV Systems) provides Part 107 prep and advanced drone training, including specialty courses. It directly competes with DARTdrones on Part 107 test prep and advanced commercial training content.
• UAV Coach: UAV Coach is a long-standing U.S. drone training company offering Part 107 test prep, online courses, and a community similar to DARTdrones' individual-pilot segment. It directly competes for the same aspiring Part 107-certified drone pilot customers.
• Drone Launch Academy: Drone Launch Academy offers Part 107 prep and drone business courses targeted at new commercial pilots and entrepreneurs. Its 'Starting a Drone Business' curriculum overlaps with DARTdrones' similarly named course at $300.
• Drone Pilot Ground School: Drone Pilot Ground School is an online-focused Part 107 prep provider with a large question bank and pass guarantee. It competes most directly with DARTdrones' Online Part 107 Test Prep and Professional Wings Program on price and convenience.

Broad incumbents

• Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University: Embry-Riddle offers formal UAS degree and certificate programs and is a recognized incumbent in aviation higher education. It is comparable as a broader aviation-training institution but does not specialize in short-form Part 107 prep like DARTdrones.
• Greenwich Aero Group / FlightSafety International (training division): FlightSafety International is a large incumbent in professional aviation simulation and training. It is comparable as a broad aviation-training incumbent that could expand into UAS crew training for enterprise and defense customers similar to DARTdrones' enterprise vertical.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/dartdrones
• Facebookfacebook.com/DARTdrones
• Instagraminstagram.com/dartdrones
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/9463981

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about DARTdrones