My name is Donald Heon, and I’m a UAS Specialist and curriculum developer at Sonoran Desert Institute (SDI), where I design and lead coursework in uncrewed aircraft systems education. I’m a U.S. Navy veteran (2004–2012), and I served as a maintainer on SH-60B helicopters, performing structural and hydraulic systems maintenance across two extended deployments.
After transitioning out of the service, I built my UAS expertise from the ground up — starting as a hobbyist FPV pilot and builder before earning a Bachelor’s degree in Unmanned Aircraft Systems from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, where I also served as UAS lab manager. That path, from hands-on hobbyist to industry educator, now shapes how I approach curriculum development: breaking down complex technical concepts into practical, usable knowledge for the next generation of UAS professionals.
At SDI, I develop and deliver curriculum across the school’s Uncrewed Technology programs, with a focus on connecting theoretical foundations to real-world operational practice. I’m based in Prescott, Arizona.
I’m honored to be joining this year’s CUAV as a roundtable facilitator, and I’m looking forward to a great discussion with everyone in the room.
Please feel free to reach me at: [email protected]