Corvallis, Oregon, July 13, 2016 — In May, 2016 the FAA granted Oregon State University a Certificate of Authorization (COA) to fly drones for research purposes. Within the COA the FAA outlined the rules for researchers flying drones, along with monthly reporting requirements for the University. With almost 40 registered drones and 50 identified pilots, OSU met the challenge of managing its flight operations by partnering with local business. Drone Complier Enterprise, a local drone compliance and business management start-up based in Corvallis, OR, agreed to work with OSU to meet the rising need for both flight management and training.
Check out Drone Complier here: www.dronecomplier.com
Drone Complier held its “alpha” class of 7 faculty from various departments around campus in late June. Oregon Department of Aviation Director Mitch Swecker was also present to see the OSU training program in action. The initial group was trained in safe and legal drone operations, the basics of flight, and given an introduction in using the Drone Complier software to manage their flight operations. The class was encouraged to provide feedback on the course, which was then used to finalize the curriculum. After two days of training each student was given an in-flight examination that tested their proficiency behind the sticks before being granted their “wings” and the ability to fly under OSU’s COA.
Training will be available to interested faculty and staff starting August 1st. The final course will focus on scenario-based training and will last 3 days with flight testing possibly leading into a 4th. Students are required to have a total of 5 hours of flight time logged (including simulator time) before attending a training session. If you are a staff member interested in going through the class please contact Mark Peters in the research office to sign up.
