FAYETTEVILLE -- About 15 students so far have registered for a new course on drones at the University of Arkansas as uses for the technology continue to increase, said Rich Ham, the class instructor.
Students will gather weekly for three hours to learn how to fly unmanned aerial systems for research purposes in what Ham said is a first-of-its-kind college course offering for the UA System and perhaps the state.
Ham said the graduate-level class set to begin Jan. 17 has attracted a diverse group of students with interests in engineering, agriculture and public policy.
The course will prepare students for Federal Aviation Administration certification exam requirements and teach skills that could help them land drone-related jobs, he said.
"They're being used more and more in industry," Ham said, citing Wal-Mart's plans to test drones in warehouse operations.
Last year, the FAA finalized what's known as the Part 107 small unmanned aircraft rule for aircraft that weigh less than 55 pounds and generally fly no higher than 400 feet. Pilots must either have the proper certification or be supervised by someone with such a certificate to fly drones for routine commercial use.
About 20 percent of the UA course, which runs through March 7, involves teaching for the test, which requires a "pretty heavy knowledge level," said Ham, associate director for UA's engineering operations management program.
The course will be taught in Fayetteville but may also be taken by students elsewhere in the state via online video. Ham said students are not required to own an unmanned aerial system because the university is able to provide some technology for the course.
At least a quarter of the class will involve performance and hands-on training, with tasks to be completed by students such as flying drones to gather data.
Thermal and infrared cameras mounted on unmanned aerial systems can be used to gather data from flying over farmland, for example. Unmanned flights also have security and law enforcement uses. The use of sensors and data-gathering technology will be a major focus of the course, Ham said.
For students whose goal is simply passing the FAA exam, a full course may not be required, said Tom McMahon, vice president for advocacy and public affairs with the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International.
But college programs offer a pathway for those seeking a career in the industry, McMahon said. He said the first such college program began in 2011 at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Florida.
"Offering [unmanned aerial systems] programs at colleges and universities is relatively new," McMahon said, adding that while programs have begun at several colleges and universities, he was not aware of other Arkansas colleges offering a drone course or program.
McMahon said he expects regulations in the future will allow commercial operators to do more with drones. Flights over people are prohibited as of now, he said. Regulations will also allow for larger drones, he said.
"You'll be getting into larger aircraft that look like more traditional manned aircraft," McMahon said.
Charles Wilson, flight operation manager for Little Rock-based Aerial Digital Photography, said the UA course should increase awareness about drone applications. He's begun working on using drones to give farmers information about the health of their crops.
"The problem is the people who are out there who could conceivably utilize drone services don't know that they can or don't know how to do it," Wilson said, noting that business for entrepreneurs has "been really lean."
Ham said enrollees are mostly graduate students, but two or three undergraduates have signed on, with the course cost set at UA's standard tuition rate.
"The FAA is making it much easier; it's actually becoming a marketable skill," Ham said of piloting drones.
But the technology is moving at such a rapid pace that policy has not kept up with the increasing number of drones, he said. McMahon said he's been told by the FAA that "nearly 30,000" Part 107 remote pilots have been certified.
With various ways to use the technology, "no pun intended, the sky's the limit," Ham said.
Metro on 01/10/2017