How do I meet local drone pilots in-person?

As the Drone Girl, I’m always getting questions from new pilots! To help me answer this fun topic — meeting up with local drone pilots — I’ve enlisted the help of Patrick Sherman. Like me, he’s a long-time drone enthusiast who has risen to become a professor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University specializing in, you guessed it, drones! 

One reader wrote in to say: I just passed my Part 107 exam, and I am excited to start flying! However, what I would really like to do is to meet up with other drone professionals near me drone professionals, which is Pacifica, California, just south of San Francisco. Do you have any connections/suggestions for any groups or individuals that I can meet and learn from?

Patrick Sherman, who is also the author of the book “Getting Started with Drones and Model Airplanes” knows a thing or two about launching a drone business. Given that, I asked him to help me answer this question

Here was his response (and if you want more of his insights, grab a copy of his book today!):

Congratulations! It sounds like you’re starting out your career in small uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) operations on the right foot! Finding your tribe and learning to fly using an inexpensive aircraft are two of the best things you can do when you’re just getting started.

First of all, in terms of finding other pilots in your vicinity, I’d encourage you to use the magic of the Internet. I did a Google search for “San Francisco Drone User Groups” and immediately identified half a dozen groups on Facebook, Meetup and other online forums that are based in your region. Check ‘em out. You might also consider using the Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA) Club Finder tool to identify model airplane flying fields in your area. This can be another great place to meet fellow pilots with a range of different interests.

-Patrick Sherman

Are you starting out as a remote pilot? Do you have other questions you’d like Patrick to answer? The chances are that he already has answered it! Check out his new book, “Getting Started with Drones and Model Airplanes,” published by Aviation Supplies & Academics – the leading publisher of aviation-related books in the United States. Copies are available on Amazon!

If you have a question for Drone Girl, contact her here.