Drone pilots are in demand. Drone applications are expanding every day, and the opportunity to put your skills to work as a drone pilot is growing. Once you get your certification, you could work for a company, start your own business, or just fly drones for the fun of it.
Here is what you would need to do to get started:
- Sixteen or more hours of ground training
- Ten hours or more of simulated flight time
- An additional 16 hours of flight training, after completing the simulations
The educational process outlined above will get you a certificate of completion for UAV/Drone operation. If you wish to fly drones commercially, there is additional instruction required. If you express interest in continuing, you will be given a practice test as preparation for the FAA part 107 test.
Drone Pilot Applications and Opportunities
Classes are conducted and tests administered by only FAA-licensed certified flight instructors, or CFIs, that will guide you through the process. You can quickly advance through accelerated training or opt to go at a slower pace since training is individually customized.
Thermal Imagery Changing the Business Landscape
Some pilots use their certification to help government utility companies and the military with infrared thermography. Thermal detection is used to determine temperature fluctuations and instability in buildings, high-voltage power lines, solar panels, and circuits. Detecting unstable temperatures in advance of large power outages or other such disasters is important to many industries and institutions.
Drone Use in Law Enforcement
As far back as 2013, thermal imaging was being used by police, and it was instrumental in locating the Boston bomber. Police found, and were able to monitor, the movements of suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev in the dead of night. The State Police used thermal imaging to pick up heat signatures where they expected Tsarnaev might be hiding and eventually found him inside an overturned boat in an unknowing Watertown resident’s back yard.
Law enforcement agencies and lawyers are increasingly using state-of-the-art technology. Drone technology is just one exciting aspect of how police use tech. As James Bond would say, “Shocking. Positively shocking.”
The Role of Drones in Fighting Coronavirus
UNICEF has listed a number of ways that drones can help during a pandemic of any kind, including in the fight against coronavirus. UAVs can pick up and deliver lab samples and transport medical equipment and supplies without putting humans at risk. Walmart has begun a pilot program for drones that deliver COVID at-home test kits.
Put Your Certification to Work in MVO Ops
Drone use while in moving vehicles allows for rapid assessment and minimizes the risk of driver fatigue. It is among the safest and most cost-efficient ways to collect data in a moving motor vehicle.
MVO Ops professionals work in search and rescue operations, disaster assessment, reconnaissance, mapping, and surveying. These specialized UAV operators are allowed to collect data during emergencies, inclement weather, and over long distances.
Specialized training is required.
If you decide to pursue this level of certification, be advised that there will be many simulations and scenario-based situations that will be required to prepare you for a career in MVO Ops. As with other learning programs, you will be taught by an experienced CFI at a pace that matches your individual needs, but some move through the program and into a paying career quite quickly.
