Lawton’s FISTA Innovation Park planning drone academy for those with commercial interests

Drones aren’t just for the battlefield.

That’s the point of an academy FISTA Innovation Park will be hosting in August, a session specifically aimed at commercial entities and individuals who could use drone technology. That UAS/C-UAS (Unmanned Aircraft System, Counter-Unmanned Aircraft System) is being coordinated by Toney Stricklin, a former Fort Sill commanding general who now works with TDRS. TDRS provides a range of target aircraft for military and defense contractors, as well as working with drone technology that can be applied in commercial settings such as agriculture, real estate and building inspections, or by civilian law enforcement.

Stricklin has been working with FISTA staff and members of the FISTA Development Trust Authority for months, crafting plans for the UAS/C-UAS Academy. That first session, set Aug. 26-30, is expected to be the first of multiple academies held at FISTA, one in 2024, but growing to five sessions in 2026. Curriculum is under development and Stricklin already has the two instructors who will handle the course: Jerry Stuckey, a retired Oklahoma firefighter who has worked with situational awareness drone technology; and Mark Pritchard, who said he first became interested in drone technology when he realized its application for his wife’s real estate business. The men have a combined 17 years of experience in Counter-UAS technology and are FAA qualified, Stricklin said.

All three men said there are multiple applications for drones that span beyond battlefield scenarios, and that is the lesson they want to convey to the 25 students who enroll in the first four-day academy.

Stricklin said he and instructors already are developing the curriculum and expect to have a range of experts teaching sessions, from representatives of the Federal Aviation Administration and the Department of Homeland Security, to representatives of the Department of Defense. It won’t be all speeches.

“The idea is also to have hands on,” Stricklin said about labs that will be set up to allow participants to get some live flight experience outside the classroom, something that will be easier to coordinate due to the fact that Fort Sill/Fires Center of Excellence is the new home of the military’s Joint Counter Small Unmanned Aerial Systems University.

Officials are putting official lesson plans together now, Stricklin said.

“I hope they react well to that,” he said, adding recruitment for the academy is expected to begin this month, with specific details brought back to the trust authority at its June meeting.

Stricklin said the whole point of the academy is education, telling people what can be done and how. That’s why he expects a wide variety of students to enroll, explaining people may have specific applications in mind, but also questions about drone technology — such as what are your options when someone is flying a drone over your property?

“I think we will have an appeal for a wide ranging audience,” he said.

The process is being funded through a $500,000 award to FISTA from the Oklahoma Strategic Military Planning Commission, formally accepted by the trust authority last month. The commission approved the grant in March, and while the plan was to split the grant over two years, FISTA President/CEO Krista Ratliff said entire amount will be awarded this year. It is a reimbursable grant, meaning FISTA will spend the money to put all the components into place, then be reimbursed for their expense.

FISTA Trust Authority Chairman Mark Brace said the academy is important, citing its potential to draw even more people to FISTA Innovation Park. And, that is a fact people outside of Lawton appreciate, including federal officials in Washington, D.C., he said.