Lakeview’s Air Force JROTC recently added Unmanned Aerial Systems, otherwise known as Drones, to their class. This year as part of the Aerospace Science portion of the curriculum they are studying The Science of Flight. During the Fall term, students earned their Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) TRUST Certificate. This certificate is basically a license to fly drones as a hobbyist.

 

According to Major Wiggins, “The rules for flying drones are more complicated than most people are probably aware. Drone pilots have to understand the rules of the airspace in which they are flying. This is why they must have their TRUST Certificate before they are allowed to pilot our drones.”  

 

After passing the FAA’s test and spending several hours on drone flight simulator software, the students were allowed to take the drone they built outside for flight testing.  And fly they did. Students tested their ability to manage the drone in flight and return it safely to its launch pad. As the students progress with their flight training they will have the ability to compete against other schools flying their drone through obstacle courses. Although they are not ready for competition right now, they plan to have a functioning flight crew together for the competition circuit next school year.