MSMS Drone Team tours Airbus
LOWNDES COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – Airbus employee Thomas Cooper graduated from the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science in 2002.
So, Wednesday was a sort of full-circle moment for him as he got to guide students from his alma mater through his current employer’s plant.
“We showed them around the entire plant, including engineering and flight tests, which most of these kids are interested in,” said Cooper.
“It was incredibly inspiring. I want to work in mechanical engineering, AI, and robotics myself, and hearing about the autonomous helicopter they’re currently working on was just incredible,” said MSMS senior and drone team member John Cistrunk.
The students are a part of the first drone team at MSMS.
The team started in August 2025 at the request of some of the students.
And Airbus has become a sponsor.
MSMS students and faculty said the tour was inspiring.
“The tour was phenomenal. The students have asked so many good questions and have gotten a chance to see a lot of what they learned at school in real life, like with physics and engineering,” said MSMS Director for Advancement Melanie Busby.
“We had learned so much, especially about autonomous helicopters and the different forms of helicopters, because we were looking at a lot of H125s and H145s. And it was so beautiful to see with the improvements they were making,” said MSMS senior and drone team member Srujan Chinnapureddy.
In the MSMS Drone team, there are three groups or teams of students.
Recently, the team brought back a number of trophies from Aerial Drone Competitions around the state.
“We are very thankful for (Airbus) sponsoring our drone program. It would not be in existence if they had not help assist us with that,” said MSMS Executive Director Ginger Tedder.
The company helps fund the equipment and competition fees.
Cooper said he thanks MSMS for helping get him where he is today.
The MSMS Drone Team will compete in the Southeast Regional Championship next month.
