Training Facility

The Ranch
Environment

ODPA conducts hands-on small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS), FPV, and counter-UAS training in partnership with The Ranch TX, a 300-acre Tier-1 tactical training facility about an hour south of San Antonio near Dilley, Texas.

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Field Training

A 300-Acre Tactical Training Base

The Ranch combines private, controlled-access land with purpose-built training environments: a large urban training area, open and unimproved terrain, confined structures, field-camp infrastructure, classrooms, lodging, and dining.

Rather than training in an empty field, ODPA students move from ground school into realistic, varied conditions where they can conduct live-fly repetitions, scenario-based training, and practical mission planning under instructor oversight.

The site sits beneath Class G uncontrolled airspace, allowing drone and FPV operations without the air-traffic authorizations required near controlled airfields. All flights are conducted in accordance with FAA Part 107.

300Acres Near Dilley, Texas

175KSq Ft Urban Training Area

GClass G Airspace

On SiteClassrooms, Lodging, Dining

Drone flying through outdoor training structures at The Ranch — The Ranch Environment **Purpose-built structures for live-fly scenario training.**

On Site

Purpose-Built For Live-Fly Training

Urban Training Area

175,000 sq ft of structures and streets for indoor and confined-space FPV flight, pursuit, containment, and scenario-based repetitions.

Confined Structures

Purpose-built structures, including a large shoot house, support structure-entry and indoor flight training when flown separately from live-fire use.

Varied Terrain

Open, off-road, and unimproved ground allow outdoor and terrain-based flight across multiple practical environments.

Field Camp and HLZ

Field-camp infrastructure and a helicopter landing zone support field operations and manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T) scenarios.

Classrooms and Lodging

Multimedia classrooms, lodging, and dining support immersive, multi-day training from ground school through live-fly scenario work.

Equipment Support

ODPA supplies its own FPV and drone training fleet; The Ranch provides terrain, structures, field infrastructure, and secure storage for equipment and training materials.

Controlled-access field environment for training scenarios — Controlled Access Training

Student reviewing FPV drone components during training — Equipment Familiarization

Students handling FPV drone equipment during training — Controller Setup

Instructor briefing students before practical drone training — Flight Application

Classroom briefing before practical drone training — Pre-Flight Briefs

Training Applications

What You Can Train Here

The combination of terrain, structures, private ground access, and Class G airspace supports ODPA's practical instruction from classroom planning to live-fly execution.

Indoor FPV Flight

Indoor and confined-space flight, structure entry, pursuit, and containment training inside the urban area and shoot house.

Outdoor sUAS Operations

Terrain-based flying across open, off-road, and unimproved ground for realistic small UAS handling and field employment.

MUM-T Scenarios

Field operations and manned-unmanned teaming scenarios using the field camp and helicopter landing zone.

Counter-UAS Training

Scenario-based counter-UAS training under simulated drone threat across multiple terrain environments.

Mission Planning

Ground school, FAA Part 107 instruction, and mission planning in on-site multimedia classrooms.

Multi-Day Courses

On-site lodging and dining make the base suitable for immersive courses that move from instruction to practical execution.

The RanchEnvironment