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.

Issue link: https://insideunmanned.epubxp.com/i/720234

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 33 of 59

34 unmanned systems inside   August/September ugust/Septe   August/September   August/September be   August/September 2016 0 2016 6 2016 AIR TRAINING "Without a doubt, [being able to teach oth- ers] is one of the things that our industry part- ners have…expressed is a requirement. When they're hiring a UAS professional, they want pilots that can instruct," Carraway said. Not only does hiring a good teacher mean that one pilot can quickly become two or three, but able teachers are good communicators. "To be able to communicate and articulate what aircraft can do and what they can't do, be able to sit down and talk to the end users and understand what their requirements are—folks that have a strong background in instruction are able to do that very effectively," Carraway said. By the end of their sophomore year students will have f lown fixed-wing vehicles for about 20 hours each and by the end of junior year they're qualified to teach others to f ly every vehicle in Kansas State's f leet—more than 30 different kinds. The last year of the program is devoted to advanced applications, assembling aircraft, and data processing. One change with Part 107 is that students from outside the UAS major will get an oppor- tunity to f ly, though Carraway said that oppor- tunity would be limited to multirotor vehicles for now because they're much simpler. Kansas State's 333 exemption was written to allow only students with a pilot's license to f ly UAS, Photos courtesy of Kansas State University Marketing and Communications and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University but now students in other programs, like en- gineering, can try their hand at f lying as well. The university is also developing an intensive course for professionals who want to use drones but don't necessarily want to become profes- sional pilots: think real estate photography and the like. This five-day course would bring in complete novices, drill them in the essentials of safety and regulations over the first three days, help them pass the FAA's UAS written test (see Part 107 Requirements for UAS Operators, page 38), and give them about a day and a half of flight training with a multirotor. "That's not going to approach the skillset that our degree-holding students will have," Carraway said, but it would give attendees a foundation in the basics and open up their career options. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Each of Embry-Riddle's campuses—in Daytona Beach, Fla., Prescott, Ariz., and Singapore—offers training with UAS. But if you want to fly, Daytona Beach is where you want to be. The non-profit school began offering a UAS minor in 2009, said John Robbins, Unmanned Aircraft Systems program coordinator. By 2011, the program had expanded to a major with eight people enrolled. By spring 2016 there were 243 students enrolled. Above: A Kansas State student and a staff member discuss a fixed-wing drone. Below: Embry-Riddle students practice in the flight s imulation lab. "It's one of the FASTEST GROWING PROGRAMS on campus." John Robbins, Unmanned Aircraft Systems program coordinator, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

Articles in this issue

Archives of this issue

view archives of Inside Unmanned Systems - AUG-SEP 2016