Thornton Academy Postscripts Alumni Magazine Fall 2017 | Page 8

Building a Drone:
Flying high above Thornton Academy
By Katy Nicketakis
O
ne of man’s greatest dreams has always been flight.
Last spring, at Thornton Academy, the Honors
Introduction to Engineering class made that dream a
reality. In a partnership with Viking Unmanned Aerial
Systems, Inc., students built a drone that flies high
above TA's beautiful campus.
Drones are big business. Currently used primarily
by photographers, real estate agents, and drone
enthusiasts, the drone industry has grown quickly
throughout the past few years and forecasts predict
it will skyrocket. Today, there are 770,000 drones
registered with the FAA and the industry is valued
at $3.3 billion according to research firm Gartner. In
2020, the projected numbers are 7 million registered
drones that are valued at $13 billion altogether.
Thornton Academy actively participates in drone
construction and development in courses that define
our STEM initiative. Through opportunities at TA,
students can develop a foundation for a career in this
growing field.
The complexity of this project certainly matches
what students would find in the professional world.
Before they could begin construction on the drones
themselves, the students built a 3D printer that would
be used to print the individual components necessary
to assemble the drone. This printer remains in the
STEM wing for students to use on future assignments
in this and other courses.
For the rest of the project, the class split into three
teams. The first team worked on drone assembly and
testing the controls including the remote and the
motors that drive the blades. The second team focused
on the programming required to be able to collect
atmospheric and weather data, and the third team built
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and designed the hardware necessary for the operation
of the drone. The finished drone has the capability
to monitor weather and atmospheric conditions and
can be use for photography and videography. In
addition to designing the project, teacher Geoff Slack
had to ensure that the teams integrated their work
together. “The students learned about the challenges
of combining the outcomes from each small team into
a final product. Concept and theory do not always
immediately translate into reality!” he said.
The program was led by Christopher Taylor, CEO of
Viking Unmanned Aerial Systems, Inc. Vikin