평창 동계올림픽 개막식과 폐막식에서 밤하늘에 수놓아진 드론 라이트 쇼가 이목을 끌었다. 인텔의 슈팅스타 드론 1,218대로 펼친 쇼는 ‘최다 무인항공기 공중 동시 비행’ 부문 세계 기네스 기록을 경신했다.
이 쇼에 투입된 1,218대의 드론 항공기들은 단 한대의 컴퓨터와 단 한 사람의 조종사에 의해 컨트롤 됐다.
드론 교육이라고 하면 ‘초경량비행장치 조종사 자격증’을 취득하기 위한 과정을 떠올리기 쉽다. 현재 국내 드론 교육 시장은 자격증을 중심으로 형성되어 있기 때문이다. 정부는 드론 기술경쟁력을 세계 5위까지 끌어올리겠다 했지만 원천기술, 관련 인력 등 기본적이 부분이 갖춰져 있지 않은 상태다. 이에 드론의 하드웨어부터 소프트웨어까지 체계적인 교육이 필요하다는 목소리가 커지고 있다.
Drone School, learn the entire process from hardware to software
We need to find a market with new perspectives such as entertainment and education. The drone light show that lit up the night sky during the opening and closing ceremonies of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics drew attention. The show, which featured 1,218 Intel Shooting Star drones, broke the Guinness World Record for the “most unmanned aerial vehicles simultaneously in the air.”
The 1,218 drone aircraft used in the show were controlled by just one computer and one pilot.
When we talk about drone education, it is easy to think of the process of obtaining an 'ultralight aircraft pilot license'. This is because the current domestic drone education market is centered around licenses. The government said it would raise drone technology competitiveness to the world's top 5, but basic elements such as original technology and related personnel are not in place. Accordingly, voices are growing louder that systematic education is needed from drone hardware to software.

Drone School CEO Oh Sang-eun
There is a place in Korea where you can learn everything from drone design to coding, assembly, and even making a control app. The Drone School, founded by CEO Oh Sang-eun, teaches the entire process of making a finished product, including 3D modeling classes using drones, Arduino-based coding, and smartphone apps.
CEO Oh Sang-eun said, “Just for the drone performances shown at the Olympic opening and closing ceremonies, only one pilot is needed. “It’s not something that can be done simply by controlling it, but rather by creating and operating movements with software,” he said. “Focusing on obtaining a pilot’s license is not useful in terms of utility. Systematic education that can support the drone industry is needed,” he explained.
The drone school classes are conducted using an assembly kit called KITRONE. The classes, which were initially conducted for college students and the general public, were expanded to include elementary school students starting this year in line with the mandatory middle school coding education.
Mr. Oh said, “As you go through the process of making a drone, you can develop interest and learn simple coding so that you can apply it. If you learn these three things: drone modeling, coding, and control apps, you can apply them in various ways.” He added, “The direction that coding education should pursue is to teach you how to actually put your thoughts into form, not just stop at ideas.”
Drones are suitable for use in fields that can replace labor. DJI, which has 70% of the global commercial drone market, started out as a small hobby drone. In Korea, the hobby drone market was not formed due to regulations such as visual flight, night flight, and flight zone restrictions, and it moved to commercial use. The government's policy is also focused on industrial use.
Accordingly, CEO Oh chose the agricultural sector as the most suitable industrial market for drone use. “I think it is appropriate to use drones in a way that can replace labor. Demand for filming and hobby use is already limited, and it seems that agriculture is the most effective field for industrial use,” he answered.
Other fields that were seen as having potential include entertainment and education. “I think there will be a market demand for drone shows like the Olympics,” he said. “The global drone market is not yet fully open. Still, there is a big wall called China. Ultimately, we have to go to the industrial market, but rather than going beyond China, looking at it from a different perspective and focusing on the education market could be another alternative.”