DAYTON — Regional leaders’ hopes to make Dayton a center of expertise for unmanned aircraft will include a request to the government that it designate local airspace for low-altitude flights for educational purposes, officials said.

Sinclair Community College is working with the University of Dayton, Wright State University, local companies and organizations to shape the request, which could go to the Federal Aviation Administration in a few months, said Deborah Norris, vice president of Sinclair’s Workforce Development and Corporate Services.

The Pentagon has been emphasizing deploying more unmanned aerial vehicles in war zones. No one knows how many jobs could result in future years, but it is a growing industry in which Dayton needs a role, said Michael Gessel, a Dayton Development Coalition vice president.

“It opens the Dayton region to a multibillion-dollar industry and has the potential of attracting many high-value manufacturing, science and research jobs,” Gessel said.

Norris declined to reveal the projected location of the flying area, saying that is still up for discussion.

The community college has ordered two unmanned aerial vehicles that it could use for low-altitude, hands-on training flights. Sinclair already has an accredited degree program for airplane pilots and is exploring offering similar training for UAV pilots, Norris said.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2242 or jnolan@DaytonDailyNews.com.