K-State in Salina to train commercial drone pilots

Kansas State University Polytechnic in Salina said Monday it has received a federal exemption allowing the school to begin training pilots for commercial drone operations.

The Section 333 exemption from the Federal Aviation Administration means the school can offer drone pilot training to students, and eventually companies and hobbyists.

Training for students enrolled in Kansas State Polytechnic’s UAS aviation technology degree program will begin in January, said Kurt Carraway, the school’s unmanned aerial systems program manager.

Those students will have to have a private pilot certificate with instrument rating to receive the training. The FAA currently requires drones used for commercial purposes to be operated by people with a minimum of a sport-pilot certificate.

Carraway said students who go through the UAS flight curriculum will be capable of operating small, multi-rotor drones as well as larger, fixed-wing drones.

Once they graduate, those students would be able to pilot drones for commercial purposes or “to go into larger systems where the majority of demand is (Department of Defense) … to fly a Shadow or Predator aircraft and deploy overseas as a contractor,” Carraway said.

In addition to having extensive flight training operating large and small drones as well as flight hours, those students also will graduate with working knowledge in the integration of sensors on drones, drone maintenance requirements and data collection processing, he said.

“What we’re really doing over course of four years is developing true UAS professionals,” Carraway said.

The school also plans to offer customized small UAS training for companies, as well as short safety courses for hobbyists operating small drones.

For students pursuing a degree, Carraway said he expects there to be a “relatively low number” in the first class starting in January. But he expects the numbers to grow from there.

In addition to offering UAS degree programs, K-State — along with Wichita State University — are among a consortium of universities that were named earlier this year to the FAA’s National Center of Excellence for Unmanned Aircraft Systems. The center’s 18 universities are charged with commercial unmanned aircraft research, development and integration into the nation’s airspace.

This story was originally published November 23, 2015 at 3:19 PM with the headline "K-State in Salina to train commercial drone pilots."