Sinclair Community College Builds National UAS Hub and Partners with BETA Technologies and Sierra Nevada Corporation to Advance Air Mobility Training
Why It MattersThe build-out signals growing academic infrastructure investment aimed at supplying trained technicians and pilots for the expanding uncrewed and advanced air mobility maintenance workforce.
Sinclair Community College in Dayton, Ohio, has established a National UAS Training and Certification Center, investing more than $10 million to construct a 28,000-square-foot facility dedicated to uncrewed flight and Advanced Air Mobility training. At its center is the UAS Indoor Flying Pavilion, described as the nation's first permanent, custom-built indoor flight arena, dedicated on the 112th anniversary of the Wright brothers' historic flight and featuring a mezzanine flying deck, a GPS signal transmission network, and a fiber-optic connection to the college's simulation labs. Supporting facilities include wind tunnels, composite manufacturing labs, rapid prototyping setups, and engine test cells.
Sinclair offers a Bachelor of Applied Science in UAS built on an Associate of Applied Science foundation, plus a short-term Advanced Air Mobility Maintenance Technician certificate covering courses AVT 1130, AVT 2281 and 2282, and AVT 4210. Twelve students graduated with a bachelor's degree in Unmanned Aerial Systems and Aviation Technology/Professional Pilot in spring 2026. Sinclair is a core member of the FAA ASSURE UAS Center of Excellence and the National Science Foundation Center for Unmanned Aircraft Systems, and is founder and sponsor of the peer-reviewed Journal of Unmanned Aerial Systems.
Through a partnership with BETA Technologies, Sinclair is acquiring an electric conventional takeoff and landing aircraft and a flight simulator, becoming the first academic institution to acquire BETA products; both assets will be housed at Springfield-Beckley Municipal Airport. U.S. Representative Mike Turner cited the acquisition as advancing Dayton's role in the future of flight. In June 2026, Sinclair and Sierra Nevada Corporation announced the launch of the SNC-Sinclair Academy, described as the Dayton region's first employer-co-designed aviation workforce pipeline aimed at producing maintenance, repair, and overhaul technicians, with Ohio Lt. Governor Jim Tressel saying the partnership strengthens Ohio's workforce.
