Rapidly declining drone batteries impact drone school certifications & revenue!
Demand for drone pilots is expected to increase by over 50% over the next five years.
Expectedly, there is a steady surge in drone school enrollments, as more prospective drone pilots look for certifications to enter the surging job market.
For drone pilot schools, this is the perfect time to capitalize on new enrollments and accelerate the certification process to eventually generate more revenue. With an increased interest in the industry, these schools can optimize the use of resources and make massive revenue and profits.
Unfortunately, drone airtime remains a critical concern, impacting operations for drone schools and experiences for drone pilot trainees and trainers alike.
Limited airtime is directly related to fast-declining drone batteries, which operate for a very limited time, cutting down airtime for each drone, and eventually, extending certification cycles for drone schools.
❝ Limited airtime is directly related to fast-declining drone batteries, which operate for a very limited time, cutting down airtime for each drone, and eventually, extending certification cycles for drone schools. ❞
Owing to the need to recharge drones multiple times during each training session, drone schools make lesser revenue and trainee pilots miss out on the flying experience.
Rapidly declining drone batteries: A major hurdle for drone schools
On an average, drone batteries offer less than 30 minutes of airtime and it takes at least 30 minutes to get the battery recharged to reuse the drone.
With drones lying idle for significant time during the training process, drone schools suffer massive delays in completing certifications, which directly impacts revenue.
❝ With drones lying idle for significant time during the training process, drone schools suffer massive delays in completing certifications, which directly impacts revenue. ❞
Most drones offer just 5-10 minutes of airtime and require 20-30 minutes battery recharge time. As a result, expensive equipment is remains underutilized, which could, otherwise, speed up certifications.
Take the example of a popular drone pilot school in Arizona. During a 6-hour training session, this flight school could only have 4 drones in the air, and most of these drones offered a flight time of less than 10 minutes.
Getting the batteries charged would take 20 minutes or more. Trainee pilots were wasting almost two-thirds of the training time, waiting near the charging station for batteries to recharge, rather than flying the drones.
Drone pilot trainees at the school usually require 100 hours of flying time to get their certification. Because drone batteries constantly require recharging, the Arizona-based drone school required at least 60 days to complete one certification cycle for a limited number of students. The biggest challenge was the limited use of drones owing to declining batteries.
This is the most common problem for all drone schools across the US who are unable to meet the demand for faster certifications. Declining drone batteries is largely impacting training sessions, leading to delays in completing the certification cycle.
❝ Declining drone batteries is largely impacting training sessions, leading to delays in completing the certification cycle. ❞
The outcome –
➤ Direct impact on revenue: Longer time to complete one certification cycle largely impacts revenue & enrollments. As only a limited number of students can complete certifications, drone schools have massive profits at stake.
➤ Impacted student experience: Frequent charging interruptions during training sessions owing to reduced airtime. Trainee pilots lose up to two-thirds of their training time, as drone batteries fail to operate beyond 10 minutes.
With drone surveyors and pilots making $25 dollars per hour on an average, the longer a drone school trainee waits to complete the training, the more money and job opportunities they lose.
Naturally, when any new trainee joins a drone school, they expect to get their certification sooner to start looking for jobs.
Improved airtime for each drone will not just ensure effective use of time but also better experience for trainees and trainers alike.
Moving ahead with SunShine Innovation Solar Charger: An ideal solution for faster certifications
An experiment with SunShine Innovation Solar Charger at the above- mentioned Arizonian drone school shows significant improvements in certification cycles.
The drone pilot school was looking for ways to improve the training sessions and accelerate certification for new trainees. SunShine Innovation’s solar charger showed a massive improvement in the outcomes.
The innovative solar charger with 6 ports could rapidly charge drone batteries both indoors and outdoors, and batteries can be swapped in a matter of just 2 minutes, rather than waiting for 20 to 30 minutes for each charging cycle.
The drone school was capable of bringing down the certification time from 60 days to just 30 days, boosting the revenue cycle by 100%, using SunShine Innovation’s solar charger. Not to miss, faster certifications meant more profits for the school, while certified drone pilots could potentially enter the job market sooner.
❝ The drone school was capable of bringing down the certification time from 60 days to just 30 days, boosting the revenue cycle by 100%, using SunShine Innovation’s solar charger. ❞
For drone schools, cutting down the charging time from 20 minutes to 2 minutes by merely swapping batteries can be a massive improvement, leading to –
➤ 2x more revenue due to faster certifications
➤ Maximize use of time during training sessions
➤ Improve training experience for drone pilot trainees, which will eventually encourage more candidates to choose the drone school over other options.
Instead of longer idle time for each drone, drone schools can effectively use available equipment and accelerate certifications to maximize profits.
Why consider SunShine Innovation Solar Charger for your drone school?
SunShine Innovation has come up with a unique solar charger that offers a multitude of features for drone schools. With a compact design and an array of distinct features, the charger promises to transform drone usage and maximize training time.
➤ More revenue: The charger gives additional training time up to 150 minutes per week, which can fast-track the training process and vastly improve certification times. Drone schools can now reduce certification times from typical 60 days to 30 days, generating 2x revenue. Also, faster certifications allow starting a new batch of enrollments sooner, maximizing profits and effective usage of drone equipment.
➤ Effective indoor and outdoor solar charging (time): The solar charger offers hassle-free, uninterrupted charging support for drones using renewable solar energy and indoor light. Drone schools can now choose to have trainers and trainee pilots out in the field for maximized airtime.
➤ Multi-device charging: The charger also comes equipped with six ports, which allows charging multiple drone batteries and devices at once. These ports include 2 ports for lipo chargers, 2 for rectangular chargers, 1 for any larger device, and 1 for other devices. Swapping one discharged battery for a fully-charged one takes less than 2 minutes!
➤ Hassle-free charging support: Continuous charging allows drone school trainees to have unmatched flying experience. They no longer need to wait close to the charging stations and miss out observing flight trajectories. Drone schools can easily maximize the use of expensive equipment.
➤ Unmatched student experience: With more students being happy with their flying experience and drone usage, schools can expect more enrollments, which will add to popularity and increase revenue further. Satisfied students are more likely to share their experiences with potential trainees.
➤ Get sustainability data: Also relying on IoT-enabled temperature and light sensors, the charger offers sustainability data and immutable records, which can help track climate footprint. For climate enthusiasts, this is an unmatched feature.
Want to learn more about generating 2x revenue for your drone school with faster certifications using Sunshine Innovation’s chargers?