Inside Unmanned Systems

AUG-SEP 2016

Inside Unmanned Systems provides actionable business intelligence to decision-makers and influencers operating within the global UAS community. Features include analysis of key technologies, policy/regulatory developments and new product design.

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38 unmanned systems inside   August/September ugust/Septe   August/September   August/September be   August/September 2016 0 2016 6 2016 AIR TRAINING Oklahoma State University students and staff work with different fixed-wing drones. Photo courtesy of Oklahoma State University that the school already does—using drones, for example, to monitor beaches for wildlife conser- vation or emergency management. Students will get about 20 hours of f light time from each class they take, plus use of the school's labs. One thing that's not changing: Embry Rid- dle students are still going to be required to get certified to f ly manned aircraft. "We feel the ratings are necessary even though not required to the same extent," Robbins said. "When you operate larger aircraft, many com- panies are requiring a manned certification." University of North Dakota The University of North Dakota in Grand Forks has just cut the ribbon on its latest source of pride: a dedicated building for its expanding UAS pro- gram. In addition to lab and classroom space, the cornerstone of the $22 million building is a two- story indoor test flight obstacle course through which students will need to fly a small helicopter. Prior to opening the new building, instruc- tors created jury-rigged obstacle courses "of PVC pipes and hula hoops," said Beth Bjerke, chair and professor of the aviation department. Indoor f light was the only kind of training UND was allowed to offer until implementa- tion of Part 107. Students trained with DJI Phantoms in the PVC and hula-hoop f light arena. They got more indoor f light experience as part of a course where they assembled their own small quadcopter—with exact flight hours determined by how well they built the copter, lead f light instructor Erin Schoenrock said. Students also received heavy simulator train- ing—70 hours in a ScanEagle simulator. UND won't be removing the simulator com- ponent, and in fact it is adding a Predator simulator so students can get experience f lying multiple vehicles. Starting this fall, however, UND also will provide actual f light training outdoors on fixed-wing vehicles (the exact hardware is still being determined). The university prides itself on one non- f light-related part of its curriculum: computer science. After recently reaching out to UND alumni and their employers, the consensus was that a greater grounding in programming, es- pecially networking and cybersecurity, would be helpful to new grads. Now students take an intro to computer science course alongside CS majors to learn "some of the basic thought pro- cesses you might see," Schoenrock said They also will be required to take a class on cybersecurity. PART 107 REQUIREMENTS FOR UAS OPERATORS • A person operating a small unmanned aircraft system (UAS) must either hold a remote pilot airman certificate with a small UAS rating or be under the direct supervision of a person who does hold a remote pilot certificate. • To qualify for a remote pilot certificate, a person must demonstrate aeronautical knowledge by either 1) passing an initial aeronautical knowledge test at an FAA-approved knowledge testing center or 2) hold a part 61 pilot certificate other than student pilot, complete a flight review within the previous 24 months, and complete a small UAS online training course provided by the FAA. • Be vetted by the Transportation Security Administration. • Be at least 16 years old.

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