University of Delaware Drone Program Aids Collision Reconstructionist
With drones gaining more popularity there need for drone collision preparedness increases. Collision reconstruction is an important aspect of drone operations which is being focused upon by several experts in the industry. Collision reconstructionist, Tavis Miller enrolled in the UD PCS Professional Drone Pilot Training Academy to learn how to safely fly a drone and gain a different perspective of the accidents he needs to assess.
In an article titled ‘Drone for Effective Perspective’ author Adam S. Kamras presented Miller’s experiences as a collision reconstructionist who benefitted immensely from being able to view collisions aerially using drones.
Being a collision reconstructionist with a municipal police agency in Delaware, Miller wanted to learn how to fly a drone to get a different perspective of the accidents he needs to assess. Miller felt the overhead view would enable him to analyze the situation from another angle. And in order to earn a Federal Aviation Administration Part 107 remote pilot certificate, which is a legal requirement to fly a drone for commercially, Miller enrolled for drone pilot training courses offered by the University of Delaware’s Division of Professional and Continuing Studies (UD PCS).
“I went in thinking about how I often see kids flying drones and this can be fun to do,” said Miller. “The way they presented it showed me there is a lot more to it than I realized.”
Miller’s first class, Ground School and FAA Part 107 Test Prep, provided comprehensive classroom training and prepared drone pilots for the FAA’s airman knowledge test- passing which is mandatory to earn the FAA Part 107 remote pilot certificate.
Miller then enrolled in Foundations of Flight, which covers the basics of flying small unmanned aircraft systems. Topics range from familiarization with various aircraft and system components, basic flight planning, safe flight deck setup and operations, basic flight manoeuvres, emergency procedures, autonomous flight mode options, multi-aircraft mission design to effective programmatic record keeping. Students receive individual hands-on flight time with a variety of aircraft systems.
“I am more of a hands-on person than a classroom person,” said Miller. “Even with Ground School and FAA Part 107 Test Prep, there was a lot of class participation, which made it easier to grasp everything as opposed to just lecture and death by PowerPoint.”
The UD PCS Professional Drone Pilot Training Academy provides comprehensive UAS training to novice, intermediate and advanced drone users. In addition to Ground School and FAA Part 107 Test Prep and Foundations of Flight, intermediate and advanced programs are offered through customized on-site training. Sample training topics include Aerial Mapping and Inspection, Aerial Imaging, Matrice M210 Operator Proficiency, D3P™ Drone Program Manager Proficiency Training, and Night Operations and Thermal Imaging.
“Even if you are just going to operate a drone on a recreational level, I recommend the classes,” said Miller. “It’s reassuring when someone not only teaches you how to do something the right way but the safe way as well. If you go through the checklist they taught us, it will make the risk of a flyaway drone pretty much next to nothing.”
Most occupations can benefit from training their drone pilots at such academies, right from first responders, investigators, insurance adjusters, realtors, reporters, filmmakers, producers, photographers, marketers, web designers, engineers, roofers, accident scene investigators, and site to structure inspectors.
For more information about UD’s Professional Drone Pilot Training Academy, visit pcs.udel.edu/drones, email [email protected], or call 302-831-7600.
