Chappell received his Unmanned Aircraft Systems Certificate through CNM. He said using a drone for search and rescue helps keep ground crews safe and out of the elements.

"Having that different perspective from up in the air, it's a lot better and easier to see where things are happening,” he said.

Associate Dean, Amy Ballard oversees the Unmanned Aircraft Systems Program. She said that drones are being used across a number of different industries.

"We got started initially because we started hearing from some of our industry partners at other advisory meetings we were having that drones were becoming a really important tool in what they did,” Ballard said. “That would include construction management and surveying and mapping in particular."

The City of Albuquerque utilizes drone technology too. Cynthia Abeyta uses drones to do surveying and mapping for the city.

"On a perfect day, you go out and you get exactly what you need and what you're looking for and then there's other days when you have technical difficulties,” Abeyta said.

But Abeyta said that because of what she learned at CNM, she is now prepared for any type of situation.

"They show you from the beginning. It's textbook all the way out to actually going out and flying,” she said. “There's no reason to be nervous or scared because there will always be someone there to show you along the way."

To learn more information about CNM’s Unmanned Aircraft Systems Program, click here.