Next month, Saturday Academy will provide students with the opportunity to follow their curiosity to the start of a new career in a high-tech industry of the future: uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS), also known as drones. During our week-long camp, offered July 15-19 at Portland State University, students will have the opportunity to qualify as commercial drone pilots.
All commercial UAS pilots must pass a 60-question Airman Knowledge Test prepared by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that covers topics including: rules and regulations, safety, airspace, weather, human factors, and more. Students will leave the class well prepared to pass the test. In addition, they will get the opportunity for hands-on training, operating drones in both indoor and outdoor environments, and gaining a detailed understanding of their systems, components, safety procedures and real-world operating considerations.
This class with be led by internationally renown instructor Patrick Sherman of the Roswell Flight Test Crew. Named by the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International as the “drone instructor of the year,” he is the author of more than 100 articles published in major industry journals and magazines, and has spoken at drone conferences worldwide.
Earlier this year, the FAA announced that it had “dramatically underestimated” the level of commercial activity that drones would achieve as the technology becomes more widely adopted across society. The agency now expects the sector to triple in size by 2023, making it a prime field for young people looking to begin their careers in the high-technology or aviation fields.
Source: Gizmodo, FAA Revises Predictions for Commercial Drone Market, Estimates It Will Triple by 2023, May 5, 2019