ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. — Author's note: The video above is from a separate story about drones that aired in June 2020.
Elizabeth City State University is building an Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) training facility to prepare students for jobs in that field.
Stephanie Marquis, a spokeswoman for ECSU, said the outdoor pavilion will be open-air inside a netted area, so students can fly drones for practice. It's on schedule to be built by late summer.
She said the 100-foot wide, 250-foot long, 50-foot high facility will be "the only structure of its kind in North Carolina."
The training pavilion could help students prepare for photography, public safety, disaster response, homeland security and other jobs that commonly use drones.
"UAS is a fast-growing public and private industry – more than 170,000 jobs are expected to be created by 2025," Marquis wrote.
ECSU is already known for its four-year Aviation Science program.
The college's chancellor, Karrie Dixon, said the training area would make a difference in the area, which is surrounded by military bases.
"This new drone pavilion will be an asset to all sectors using UAS technology now and in the future, and serve as a regional hub to train personnel," Dixon wrote. "These professions provide stability for families, and our graduates help meet demand in the airline, aerospace/defense contractor, military, and other state and federal industries."
It's being built with a $1.5 million donation from the MacKenzie Scott Foundation.