AV News: Kansas State Polytechnic UAS Degree

If you’re looking for a degree in UAS operations, look no further than Kansas State Polytechnic. The school’s UAS flight and operations degree is the first in the country to be granted a waiver by the FAA to introduce flying beyond visual line of sight into college curriculum. The program started this past fall in two upper-level classes and is being considered a success. The schools UAS Executive Director of Applied Aviation Research Center said “It is a significant opportunity for our students to learn to fly UAS beyond their visual line of sight because they are preparing their skills and knowledge for the future of the industry.” He went on to say this would make their students more marketable after graduation than their peers who haven’t had the same experience. How does it work? When flying beyond line of sight the drones are flown by a ground control station linked to an autopilot system on the drone. They aren’t flown manually. Students in the course are also taught how to deal with a variety of scenarios should any issues arise when flying beyond line of sight. The hope is graduates can take these skills to companies looking into drone delivery, like Amazon, or using UAS in large-scale mapping projects or inspection. The school has been awarded a variety of firsts in the U.S. – it was the first in the country to be approved for commercial flight training, first in the nation to receive statewide flying access, and a member of the first FAA Center of Excellence for Unmanned Aircraft Systems.