Chesapeake College
MD Eastern Shore · FAA Part 107 drone operator course with scholarships
Eastern Shore Maryland college offering a drone operator course with a path to FAA Part 107 certification. Scholarship opportunities available for students. Contact: Suzann Zdunowski.
Working row crops grown in the region across the Southeast region, Chesapeake College delivers pilot training to farms in Maryland. Maryland requires both a federal Part 137 ag aircraft operator certificate and an Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA)-issued aerial-category pesticide applicator license for any commercial spray.
Operations are based in the Southeast region.
Services offered
States served (1)
Aerial pesticide licensing in states served
Every state requires a pesticide applicator license with the aerial category endorsement on top of FAA Part 137. The agencies that issue these licenses in Chesapeake College's service area:
- Maryland — aerial pesticide work runs through Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA) under Category 13: Aerial.
Full agency, exam and renewal-cycle details by state are catalogued on the state pesticide licensing reference.
Verify and resources
Primary-source references for verifying credentials and looking up state-specific rules in Chesapeake College's service area.
Frequently asked questions
Ask Chesapeake College for four documents to confirm credentials: the Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate number, the Part 137 Agricultural Aircraft Operator Certificate, the state aerial-category pesticide applicator license, and a certificate of insurance carrying chemical drift coverage. In Maryland the state credential is issued by Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA); you can ask the operator for the applicator license number and verify it with the agency directly. The Section 44807 exemption number is the fourth piece, applicable to any drone over 55 lbs gross weight.
Typical drone spraying rates of $12 to $22 per acre in the region usually breaks down into three lines: (1) included — calibration, GPS-guided flight planning, machine and pilot labor to fly the field, mixing and loading farmer-supplied product, and a Part 170-compliant application record; (2) excluded — the pesticide and any adjuvants, which the farmer supplies; (3) surcharges — long travel, after-hours, difficult terrain or obstruction-heavy fields, and minimum-acreage charges below a stated threshold. Spell out which of those land on your invoice before the operator schedules.