What do wedding photographers, real estate agents, inspectors and land surveyors have in common?

Answer: They’re all using drones to elevate their business. Whether it’s capturing aerial photos of special events and houses for sale or creating 3D maps of structures and properties, working professionals in a variety of industries are growing increasingly reliant on using drones to get the job done. To do any of those things, however, requires a remote pilot certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration.

“A lot of people don’t know that,” said John Sibole, former aviation program director at EMU Lancaster. “They think, ‘Oh, if I’m using a drone for a nonprofit, then I don’t need this certificate,’ but that’s not true. You need it for anything you do beyond strictly recreational flying.”

The remote pilot certificate, also known as an FAA Part 107 certificate, is required by the U.S. government for anyone operating a drone beyond recreational purposes. The written knowledge test to earn this credential can be a challenging one, especially for those without a background in aviation.

Fortunately, for those seeking a pathway to commercial drone piloting, a new program at EMU can help prepare them for this test. Offered at both the Harrisonburg and Lancaster campuses through EMU Continuing and Professional Education, the noncredit Drone Certification Program will equip participants with the skills needed for safe and innovative drone operations.

Participants in the program will spend 20 hours of instructional time, from Friday afternoon to Monday morning, learning about essential subjects for the exam: drone regulations, the National Airspace System, weather and preflight planning. The final four hours of the course will involve hands-on experience piloting a drone. After completing the course, participants can schedule the exam at a designated testing center, with locations in Lancaster and Charlottesville. 

“The demand for skilled drone operators is growing across industries, and EMU is excited to offer a program that meets this need,” said Dr. Tynisha Willingham, provost at EMU. “This course not only prepares professionals for FAA certification but also empowers them to use drones in innovative and impactful ways.”

Upcoming course dates include March 28-31 in Harrisonburg and May 2-5 at EMU Lancaster in Lititz, Pennsylvania. For more dates and information, visit: emu.edu/graduate/drone

Sibole, who has over 50 years of professional aviation experience, including service as an FAA inspector, will provide instruction for the courses. He said the program’s in-person training and its concentrated nature sets it apart from other courses, which are done online. “Here, you actually get to fly a drone,” Sibole said, “which wouldn’t be possible through an online course.”

The program is designed to support busy professionals from diverse fields such as agriculture, construction, public safety, live events and sports, though Sibole said it’ll be useful for anyone looking to add another tool to their toolbox. 

“There’s a catchy line the former head of the FAA once said,” shared Sibole. “We’ve had the jet age, the space age, and now we’re in the drone age.”

Watch this video of EMU students, faculty and alumni learning to pilot drones during a training session in September.

Interviewed in their living room, the Riehls speak of drones that conduct surveillance and drop bombs, of military bases, activist contacts across the country, disseminating information, warfare. An eavesdropper picking up snippets of their thoughts might peg them as spies or covert military operators, or perhaps violent revolutionaries or dangerous criminals.

But this couple, both in their early 80s, are peace activists utterly committed to nonviolence.

“What can I do to stop our wars?” says Daniel, a retired physician. He has hope, though: “If people get information, they might do something about it.”

In the late 1950s, at what was then Eastern Mennonite College, Marie Keener studied before graduating with a ; E. (for Evan) Daniel Riehl was a major. Raised in opposite corners of Lancaster County, Pa., they re-settled in southeastern Pennsylvania as a married couple. He worked with the state public health department for many years, then as a medical consultant for . She mainly focused on their home and raising their three children, Jan Marcia Orndorf  ’85 (now a teacher and pastor), Eric (computer professional) and Carl (lawyer). The Riehls have two grandchildren.

Hundreds of hours protesting wars

In recent years Daniel and Marie spend much of their time as enthusiastically engaged activists, going to places near and far from home to communicate their anti-war messages. “I’ve spent hundreds of hours on street corners protesting wars,” Daniel says.

Among other activities, they frequently borrow the model drone from its owners, the Wilmington, Del., chapter of Pacem in Terris, and haul it around in an effort to inform folks. It’s a 1:5 scale model of a Reaper—an unmanned, remote-controlled aircraft that the U.S. Air Force and CIA use for reconnaissance and for launching missile strikes in places like Yemen and Pakistan.

“The first time we hauled the drone,” Daniel recounts, “we had it in the wrong way, with the back end in front. I could hardly see over the top.”

The duo has since learned that the drone fits into their car better with the front end facing towards the windshield. And it still only just fits. When in place, the fuselage protrudes through the gap between the front seats of their 2006 Toyota Prius Hybrid, occupying the space between the driver’s and passenger’s heads.

For in November 2013, the Riehls transported the drone nearly three hours from its storage place in Delaware to Harrisonburg, where it was positioned by the main-floor picture windows in the Campus Center. The exhibit was organized after a mutual acquaintance put the Riehls in touch with campus pastor , who helped round up students to hand out flyers about the child victims of drone attacks.

The Riehls also do street vigils, screen films, join demonstrations, and write articles and letters to the editor. Daniel is the author of a piece in Mennonite World Review, “,” and one on the web site of The Mennonite, “.” The pair’s annual calendar includes a trip to Georgia to join the . They are also involved with various organizations and groups near their residence in the in Lititz, Pa.

‘Killing Muslim civilians is savagery’

For the last three years, the Riehls have played leadership roles in a small group called 1040 for Peace, which aims to create a national movement of taxpayers who withhold $10.40 each year from their federal tax payments as a symbolic gesture against military spending. The pair first used the drone replica as part of their work with 1040, taking it on a tour of six venues in Pennsylvania. The model drone also makes frequent appearances at monthly protests in Horsham, Pa., where a command center for drone operations is planned.

“The purpose of our wars is to make the rich people richer. And the rich people – the defense companies – put the people in Congress who they want,” Daniel says. “The military-industrial complex rules our nation for the good of the very wealthy at the expense of the poor.

“Killing civilians in Muslim countries like Pakistan, Somalia, and Yemen is savagery,” he continues. “The war in Waziristan, the drones are flying 24/7. One person said he saw nine drones at once flying around. And they are very scary because you don’t know when they’re going to shoot you.”

Daniel is the more vocal of the pair, a fount of ideas and energy. Marie seems to provide the moral and grounded direction for the pair. ”My wife got me started. She advised that I take a course on Latin American cultures,” Daniel says. ”It made me realize what was really going on.”

The Riehls seem determined to continue to educate themselves so they can continue to educate others. ”I don’t think any of the churches are doing their jobs,” says Daniel. “The churches, including the Mennonite church, facilitate the crimes of our government. I think we should talk about these things a little bit more.” The Riehls offer their criticisms as devoted Mennonites – they are active members of in Akron, Pa.

During their times of relaxation, Daniel and Marie enjoy exercising and taking in the tranquil views of farmland surrounding their community of retirees.

Asked about possible downsides of the couple’s golden-years activism, Daniel offers two responses. ”Marie gets tired of driving,” and “we used to go on vacations.”