As drone operators are charting new territory subject to federal regulations, Southern Illinois University-Carbondale will offer Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification via a course from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Nov. 12-13 at Southern Illinois Airport.
Slated to take place in the facility’s Transportation Education Center for a $500 fee, the two-day workshop will enable operators of the unmanned aircraft to obtain official authorization. The course also includes a certifying test and lunch.
Associate professor in Aviation Management and Flight Michael Robertson said that FAA rules mandate certification for operators using the craft for business and/or surveying purposes.
“More of the public is getting into drone use and we believed a course [would] help certify them,” Robertson said, alluding to growing safety concerns.
The FAA established a drone registration system only nine months ago. Since August, when the agency initiated commercial drone pilot licensing, close to 14,000 individuals have applied for the qualifying exam and over 5,000 have passed. SIU noted that the FAA predicts over 1.3 million licensed drone pilots by 2020.
The course will be taught by Robertson and two additional SIU aviation professors, with a guest lecturer and flight instructor.
“We are starting to see more use of drones so it is helpful to have more public education,” Robertson said. “People are operating drones and may have no idea what type of airspace they are operating in.”
For more information, contact sgoetz@siu.edu or Sarah VanVooren in Conference and Scheduling at 453-3472 or svanvoo@siu.edu. The deadline to register is Nov. 4.
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