According to a report from the Association for Unmanned
Vehicle Systems International, the impact of UAVs on the economy in the next 10
years amounts to $82 billion. This is also evidenced by the U.S. budget for
drone warfare that has ballooned from $667 million in 2002 to more than $3.9
billion in 2015. Needless to say the job market, too, is set to bloom
proportionately.
The buzz that this industry has created has some UAV
enthusiasts, who already have or are yet to have an operating license from the
appropriate aviation regulatory bodies, to embark on a quest to get the
requisite UAV certifications or training or licensing there is to obtain. This
article will list and highlight the UAV certification courses, licensing
requirements and training options available for these drone enthusiasts.
Licensing:
Last week, a Lufthansa airliner preparing to land at the
Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) nearly collided with a drone. This might be a less frequent occurrence, but
drones can threaten security in other ways including privacy intrusion or even
noise pollution. The UAV technology has advanced to a point where strict
regulations are unavoidable.
At present the FAA is still working on a permanent set of
rules for how this new class of aircraft can operate. Right now, you are free
to fly drones for civilian or sporting purposes but if you want to use the
drone for commercial purposes, you have to apply for a Certificate of
Authorization. In other words to fly a drone for non-recreational purposes you
need a FAA pilots license.
The easiest way to get around this would be to get a sports pilot license. And you could get
a license in less than a month for under $5,000 if you decide to train with a
balloon instead of a plane. The caveat is that the license has to maintained,
requiring pilots must fly a minimum of three flights every 90 days.
The registration or licensing is most likely to be on the
person and not on the drone. The purpose is not to uniquely identify each drone
but the person who owns the drone. A person with a license or registration
number can own as many drones.
Training:
If you are interested only in operating drones like an
expert, and are not interested in getting a license, there are dedicated training courses for that too.
Professional instructors and private flight schools located around the USA
offer courses that are a combination of classroom and simulator based sessions
leading up to full on flight training. Most of those who flock to these courses
are often enthusiasts who see UAVs as the future of aviation. And there are those who need training and a
certificate to kick-start their own business ventures.
However since the drones range from small aircraft that
cost a few hundred dollars to military aircraft that cost millions, appropriate
training standards will vary too. In addition the US Air Force is attempting to
find new training bases to train new pilots in order to cover the increasing
shortage.
The Air Force currently offers a retention bonus as much
as $125,000 to drone pilots, similar to what is offered to jet pilots. This is
mostly in order to circumvent competition for pilots from commercial airlines.
The growing, private-sector demand for RPA pilots is led by companies such as
Amazon — who is experimenting with using drones for commercial delivery, along with
defence contractors like General Atomics, which supplies the military with
pilots, are also looking for test pilots and operators.
Certifications:
Apart from adequate training, there are two most popular
certifications every drone flyer must obtain. They are explained below.
The Civilian UAV Pilot Training Certification
Course
The sole aim of the Civilian UAV Pilot Training Certification Course is
to train would-be drone pilots ensuring that they become highly skilled and
experienced and hence capable of utmost safe and productive drone flying in the
more commercially oriented sectors of media, journalism, real estate,
construction and Civil engineering, land surveys, mapping, agriculture, public
and private utilities, pipelines (crude oil and gas), Telecommunications, and
Maritime and many more.
The would-be drone pilots are expected to undergo a series of training
tasks such as reviewing the checklist of guidelines laid down by relevant
aviation regulatory agencies, as regards UAV flight rules and licensing. They
will also be shown practical demonstrations of real life drone flight
manoeuvres and patterns, ranging from the take-off to landing of the drone,
from flight parameters to maintenance/servicing and from the use of in-flight
cameras to the inspection of oil and gas pipelines.
The would-be drone pilots are not only trained to be competent in the
commercial cum engineering applications of the UAV(agriculture, aerial
photography and more), but would also be taught how to be applied various
business strategies in order to get the best out of the commercial utilization
of UAVs. On completion of the training, the Civilian UAV Pilot Training
Certificate is issued to the pilots.
The Government/First Responders UAV Pilot
Training Certification Course
The target group of would-be drone pilots, who are expected to undergo
the Government/First Responders UAV Pilot Training Certification Course, must
come from the Police, Emergency First Responders, Fire and Rescue Department,
government-owned recreational parks and facilities, Forestry and Wildlife
Management and more.
This Pilot Training Certification Course is designed solely for the
purpose of training the aforementioned would-be drone pilots on understanding
the legal requirements demanded of them by the appropriate aviation regulatory
authorities, standard procedures ranging from flight program setup to specific
mission setup.
The would-be drone pilots are expected to undergo a series of real-life
field training drills such as how to use drones for surveillance, hostage scene
operation, search and rescue, forensic photography which will help in
consolidating their skills in accident reconstruction, handling of hazardous
materials, crisis management, situation awareness and investigations. They are
also expected to learn how to use UAV flight simulation software for specific
deployments. On completion of the training, these pilots are issued the First
Responders UAV Pilot Training Certificate.
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