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.

Perhaps the greatest love in his life—other than his wife, Frances, and their children—was aviation. Hartman, an instrument-rated pilot since 1959, managed a small airfield east of Charlottesville in the 1960s. He enjoyed flying through the skies above his home “low and slow” in his 1966 Cessna 172, recalled his friend and legal adviser Marshall Yoder. Hartman delighted in taking his family on his flights and seeing the scenery from a fresh perspective.

“Len was a skilled pilot,” Yoder said. “He would float down and there would barely be a ‘thump’ when he’d land.”

As he entered his 90s, Hartman stopped flying his plane as often and began talking to Yoder about parting with it. He wanted to leave it in the right hands, where it could do the most good. But, he hadn’t yet found the right cause.

When Yoder told him about the burgeoning aviation program at EMU Lancaster and how his plane could greatly impact the next generation of pilots, Hartman found his answer. Before his death in February 2022, Hartman ensured that his beloved Cessna, as well as 25 percent of his estate, would be gifted to EMU. Because the gift was unrestricted, the university and its advancement division could decide how best to use it.

“Len knew there was a worldwide shortage of pilots, and he knew there would always be people interested in flight,” said Braydon Hoover, who worked with Hartman and Yoder on establishing the endowment. “And so, to honor his memory, we decided to put it all into a scholarship named after him.”

The J. Leonard “Len” Hartman Scholarship for Aviation will provide more than $17,000 in funds each year, starting in fall 2025, for aviation students at EMU Lancaster who demonstrate financial need.

The Hartman endowment totals about $345,000, which includes $20,000 from the sale of the Cessna. Hartman’s gift will help EMU live into its vision of opening new pathways of access and achievement, a vision outlined in the university’s 2023-28 strategic plan, Pathways of Promise: Preparing Tomorrow’s Unifying Leaders.

“It has quickly become one of our larger named endowed scholarships,” Hoover said, “for one of the fastest growing programs at EMU.”

You can contribute to scholarships for future aviators at EMU by donating online at and typing “J. Leonard Hartman Aviation Scholarship” or “Scholarship for Aviation” into the text field. Contact kirk.shisler@emu.edu for more details on how to support this worthy cause.

John Sibole, director of aviation at EMU Lancaster, said the scholarships will allow the program to further diversify its student body and recruit students from new areas.

“We at EMU Lancaster would like to express our sincere gratitude for the implementation of the Len Hartman scholarship fund for our aviation students,” Sibole said.

“The flight training component of their education is expensive, and these scholarships, which will be awarded in part on a needs basis, will provide new pathways of access into the aviation profession for underserved young people,” he added.

EMU’s aviation program soars

Word is spreading throughout the aviation industry about the strength of EMU’s program and the quality of its graduates. As a result, the EMU aviation program continues to grow in popularity. The program, which began in 2018 with five students, will welcome 24 students this upcoming semester—its largest cohort yet. Current enrollment in the program is at 49 students. A total of 21 students, in three cohorts so far, have graduated from the program to date.

Students enrolled in the four-year Leadership and Organizational Management (LOM) major with an aviation concentration earn a bachelor’s degree and the FAA credentials they need to become professional pilots. Students are paired with flight instructors though EMU’s flight training partner at the Lancaster Airport in Lititz, Pennsylvania. While the program provides at least 270 hours of flight time, many students earn up to 1,000 hours by the time they graduate, said Sibole, noting that nearly 100 percent of their students find jobs within their first year of graduating.

One of the benefits of an aviation program the size of EMU’s is that students are given guaranteed weekly flight training slots with access to aircraft and an instructor. That’s something, Sibole said, that isn’t available at a lot of larger schools.

It’s a major reason Will Stover, a third-year aviation student, chose to attend EMU.

“You’re going to be flying pretty much from day one,” he said. “And you have guaranteed flight slots, so there’s no question you’ll be flying and you’ll be flying regularly.”

When students enter their senior year, they are required to complete a supervised internship with an established aviation organization for a full semester. For many aviation graduates, those internships translate into full-time careers.

During her senior year, Ivy Kreiser, a member of the program’s first cohort, interned at , a private charter and aviation services company in Lancaster. She landed a job there after graduating in 2022 and now works there as a second-in-command.

Becoming a pilot can be expensive. The affordability of EMU’s aviation program, compared to other schools, was a big draw for her.

“The EMU program is great because you’re going to get the education you need, the experience you need, and the flight schools you need,” Kreiser said. “You’re going to meet with professors who will give you the connections you’re hoping for and that you want. And you’re not going to spend as much money as some of the other big programs out there.”

Hartman leaves a legacy

In addition to donating to EMU, Hartman gifted parts of his estate to a library, school, retirement home and church, Yoder said.

The attorney fondly recalls spending afternoons on Hartman’s front porch, talking about everything from politics and religion to Virginia Tech basketball.

“He was such a decent, nice person,” Yoder said. “I miss being able to talk to him. But I think he would be really happy knowing where his bequest is going.”

For more information about EMU’s aviation program, visit:

Ivy Yanek, a junior in EMU Lancaster’s aviation program, was among the first to commit to the fledgling program three years ago. She was among the first to solo in that cohort of history-makers. And now she has set another milestone, as the first in the program to earn her Flight Instructor Certificate.

That certificate and a new job with Aero-Tech Services starting this week allows her “to earn money for flying, instead of paying for it,” said John Sibole, director of the aviation program.

To work towards her career goal of flying for a charter service or airline, Yanek must build up her flying hours. She says approximately she’ll need 1,000 hours before she can apply for those kinds of jobs, but now she can be paid while accruing time in the air.

Zach Hurst is the chief flight instructor for Aero-Tech Services, the flight training partner in the EMU aviation program. He first met Yanek several years ago when the high-schooler was still figuring out her career path, and has had a firsthand view of her decision-making skills, self-confidence and professionalism. He’s also appreciated her commitment to growth and development and the way that she interacts and communicates with both fellow students and experienced pilots. 

Earning the Flight Instructor Certificate is a requirement of EMU Lancaster’s aviation curriculum and one aspect that sets the program apart from many other collegiate aviation programs. Sibole said, “It allows our students to get a head start on building the flying experience that is foundational to achieving their vocational goals.”

Yanek has earned her Private Pilot Certificate, her Instrument Rating, and her Commercial Pilot Certificate – all prerequisites to the Flight Instructor Certificate.

“The training for becoming a flight instructor largely involves transitioning into being able to teach while flying the aircraft,” she said. “Rather than focusing solely on my own performance as a pilot, I now have to focus on the needs and abilities of my student as well.”

Yanek is looking forward to teaching and sharing her passion for flying: “I look forward to helping students develop their skills as aviators and watch them grow into safe, successful pilots. I also know that I will learn a lot during my time teaching others.”

Read more about Ivy Yanek and her flying career below:

The director of ��ݮ����’s two-year-old aviation program has his feet firmly planted on the ground most days, helping new pilots find their wings. It’s a path John Sibole started on as a 16-year-old that has led to experiences in almost every corner of the aviation industry – he’s washed airplanes, flown in the Air Force, run his own flight school, and worked as an engineer, airline pilot, and safety inspector. He’s seen the glaciers in Greenland and Labrador, the Amazon rainforest in Peru, and the Alaskan wilderness, all from the cockpit. 

This wealth of knowledge informs him as an educator. “I really try to communicate that aviation is a multifaceted endeavor … there are other paths that our student aviators might want to take besides being an airline pilot,” Sibole says.

The aviation program, offered at EMU’s Lancaster site, is an educational track within the Leadership and Organizational Management degree. Students split their time between on-site classes at EMU Lancaster and flight training at Aero-Tech-Services, Inc, in Lititz.

“In addition to technical excellence, they’re being nurtured as future aviation leaders,” Sibole explains, “in a Christian institution whose value system includes promoting the welfare of local and global communities.”

Missions and humanitarian track in the works

Sibole was working as an inspector for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) when he accepted the position with EMU Lancaster, where he already served on the aviation program’s advisory committee.

“I was very happy in my work at the FAA, but began to sense a calling to come to EMU full-time,” says Sibole. “My vision is that this program will produce graduates with the best technical foundation, the potential for leadership, and a framework in which to continue to form godly values.”

What’s next for the program? Sibole is preparing to introduce a missions and humanitarian track to the curriculum. And with the combination of capable administrators and the excellent flight training partner Aero-Tech Services, Sibole says, “we have an agile, intelligent platform from which to move this into the top tier of collegiate aviation programs.”

An adventurous resumé

Sibole has always had a knack for mechanics. As a child, he tinkered with with go-karts, motor scooters, and cars. He was bitten by the aviation bug when a family friend took Sibole and his mother flying.

“Apparently something took root there,” Sibole says. At age 16, in 1967, he started working as a “line boy” at a small airport – gassing up the planes, checking the oil, and washing windshields. His dollar-an-hour wages all went towards flying lessons, which his father also helped pay for. He then earned a degree in mechanical engineering in 1972 from Lehigh University on an Air Force ROTC scholarship.

Sibole has gone through six engine failures while flying: three in jets, one in a light airplane, and two in helicopters. But the seasoned pilot says that the hardest part, in one case, was not making an emergency landing, but navigating danger on the ground afterwards.

Once, during a safety inspector training course, Sibole was flying a helicopter over the St. Johns river basin near Cocoa Beach, Florida, “which is very scenic but which also is full of alligators, whom we would see sunning themselves as we flew over.”

The engine cut out. Sibole and his instructor safely set the craft down in a patch of solid ground within the swamp, but then had to run about 50 yards – through alligator habitat – to the helicopter that came to pick them up.

“The engine failure didn’t bother me at all, but these gators were enormous,” Sibole says. “And I had heard that they’re very quick!”