Drone Camp to Prepare Students for Commercial Drone Flight

Photo by Richard Ham

A drone in operation at Razorback Field.

Aspiring commercial drone pilots have a chance to train for their Federal Aviation Administration certification through a University of Arkansas Global Campus Course Aug. 13-16.  

Drone Camp will take place at the Global World Campus (and also synchronous video) in Rogers. The course is an accelerated camp with pre-work to prepare to take the FAA part 107 Remote Pilot Examination and also obtain practical, hands on flying, learning basics of different types of cameras/sensors and use of software useful for mapping and data analysis.

The camp will be taught by Richard Ham, a recognized subject matter expert in the field of Unmanned Aircraft Systems.

The course is meant to serve as a foundation for drone pilots, and provides an opportunity to complete the FAA 107 certification before the school year begins. The course is especially practical for educators of all levels, students, law enforcement, first responders, fire departments and industry personnel interested in using this new technology to improve operations.

This is the first camp where students may complete the work remotely by video and still receive a practical checkout and hands-on experience.

"The use of unmanned aerial systems for first responders has become a basic skill requirement," Ham said. "The University of Arkansas has developed a widely recognized multidisciplinary effort of subject matter experts that is recognized as cutting edge. This was one of many public service efforts to share our expertise in the discipline."

Discounts are available for groups, UA System and public service employees.