As America’s unemployment rate continues to hover in the double digits in the wake of pandemic, more former employees are launching a new path as entrepreneurs.

Barry Alexander believes the best path leads to the drone industry. Alexander is CEO of Aquiline Drones. The Connecticut-based company is betting on Alexander’s vision by launching an online drone-as-a-startup training program.

Dubbed Flight to the Future, the project targets not only would-be UAV entrepreneurs, but also seasoned aviators, drone enthusiasts and the general public.

“From the very beginning, as a person of color and native of St. Lucia, I decided to determine my own destiny by becoming a pilot and pioneering a crucial air ambulance service called Aquiline Air Ambulance,” Alexander said.

“[It] was designed to fly patients and medical resources to specialized hospitals across the Caribbean and into the U.S.”

“Self-actualization is a necessity in combating adversity and is the most appropriate gift that gives hope, empowerment, self-worth and balance where financial uncertainty looms over our economy,” he added, concerning his success with Aquiline Drones.

Flight to the Future leverages Spartacus – a proprietary digital agent of Aquiline Drones. Spartacus provides feedback across participants’ curriculum and training.

“Spartacus then becomes a job advisor once the individual establishes his or her business by forwarding lists of requests for actual drone opportunities and missions,” an Aquiline Drones press release notes.

“In addition to our cognitive agent Spartacus, our advanced DDS job recruiting system is what sets [Aquiline Drones] apart from the competition,” adds Alexander.

“Not only are we training people in a burgeoning industry, but we’re actually matching our newly certified drone service providers with real jobs and missions. In fact, their first job is very likely a part of the training package.”

Online classes take flight Sept. 1 with a new semester kicking off every eight weeks. Costs of the Aquiline Drones program range from $799 for licensed pilots to $999 for the public. The course can take as little as six weeks to complete.

“Aggressive nationwide enrollment has already started and is a clear reflection of society beckoning something positive—definitely good news.” said Alexander.

Content areas include pilot training, FAA certification, cloud computing, analytics, command-and-control operations, industry-specific applications and drone business management.

“We have witnessed a massive amount of our fellow pilots lose their positions and border on bankruptcy as a result of this detrimental pandemic,” Alexander said.

“At the most basic level, drones are miniature aircraft and thus, a natural transition for commercial pilots. However, we’ve created a simple and tangible training program that appeals to the masses as well.”