UAS application class created online by Sinclair
Sinclair Community College for the first time will offer a course online to teach students how to apply for approval to fly unmanned aerial systems from the Federal Aviation Administration, the school announced.
The online class — which Sinclair said is believed to be the first of its kind in the nation — is adapted from the college’s traditional classroom model instructing students on how to draft their request for a “Certificate of Authorization” that is required to fly drones in unrestricted airspace, according to Sinclair.
“In the current regulatory environment, public entities are eligible to apply for COAs,” according to Sinclair. “However, the tools and analysis techniques used in the COA development process and taught in this course will be invaluable for private operators as UAS integration and commercialization progresses.”
The new online course comes as Sinclair invests $1.4 million in an effort to lead the nation in education programs around unmanned aerial systems.
The COASmart program cost is $650.
The college also plans to bring other courses related to drones to the online format, including Introduction to UAS, Precision Agriculture for UAS, UAS and the Law, UAS Standards and Regulations, and Geospatial Information for UAS, according to the college. The college offers a certificate in UAS and has six certifications to fly drones at the Springfield-Beckley Municipal Airpark and at the Wilmington AirPark.
