Diversity & Inclusion

UAV firm, kids pilot drone camp in West Baltimore

Global Air Media created the program. Ten kids are learning the ways of the quadcopter over spring break.

Eno Umoh, left, shows Drone Campers the controls. (Photo by Stephen Babcock)

At Cumberland and Carey Park in West Baltimore, a group of kids gathered around Emo Unoh on Tuesday morning. A quadcopter buzzed few yards out and a few heads up.
“Remember,” said Umoh, the COO of Global Air Media, “it’s facing us, so the controls are reversed.”
For the 10 West Baltimore kids, it was their second day of a spring break week at Drone Camp. They described a few mishaps that happened the day before, but on Tuesday it was all soft landings.

Kids pilot a drone in West Baltimore.

Kids pilot a drone in West Baltimore. (Photo by Stephen Babcock)


For the first part of the morning, they were inside across the street at the Penn North Kids Safe Zone. The members usually spend time at the space, which was opened by Ericka Alston following last year’s unrest. But this week, they’re getting lessons about lift, thrust, gravity and drag from St. Ignatius Loyola Academy teacher Abraham Attenoukon.
For their part, Umoh and the team at Global Air Media are usually flying drone missions. The business started about a year ago, and works with real estate, construction and other clients.
Facing a wall of historic African-American leaders, kids learn to fly drones.

Facing a wall of historic African-American leaders, kids learn to fly drones. (Photo by Stephen Babcock)


Umoh said Global Air Media is considering this week a pilot, and want to extend it into a summer camp that also teaches drone construction if the spring break edition is successful. They also connected with the team behind Innovation Village, which is now a sponsor.
On Monday, some of the West Baltimore innovation district leaders spoke on a Light City U panel about what led to a dearth of startups in West Baltimore.
https://twitter.com/suitupbmore/status/714470210812510208
On Tuesday, Thomas Johnson Elementary student Dasia Harris was seeing a drone fly for the first time that wasn’t in pictures or on TV.
“I never actually saw one,” she said.

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