The U of A will offer a course this fall designed to prepare participants to pass the Federal Aviation Administration Part 107 exam required to safely and legally fly a drone.

Global Campus will offer the five-week drone pilot training course each Tuesday from Oct. 15 through Nov. 12 at its location in Bentonville.

The course, Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) 1, is taught by Rich Ham and will take place at the Collaborative, 704 SE Fifth St., Bentonville. Ham, a licensed pilot, air traffic controller and retired Air Force commander, is also the associate director of both the Master of Science in Operations Management and the Master of Science in Engineering Management programs in the College of Engineering and conducts UAS research. The cost of the course is $499, which does not include the cost to take the FAA Remote Pilot Certificate Examination (FAA Part 107 Exam) - which is about $150 - course software for $50 or a personal drone. Participants must supply their own drone unless they are taking the course live at the Collaborative.

The course covers everything drone pilots need to know about flying legally and safely, including regulations concerning flying a drone over U of A property or during any operations requiring FAA authorization. Operating a drone on university property is prohibited except as approved in advance, and the policy outlines the procedure for requesting approval.

Participants who are sponsored by an employer or organization can complete a project based on the sponsor's needs, such as real estate marketing, infrastructure inspection, agriculture operations, thermal roof inspections or 3D modeling.

For anyone with an accredited bachelor's degree who is interested in additional drone training, the College of Engineering also offers a six-credit-hour graduate microcertificate in advanced air mobility autonomous operations. The microcertificate is one step in an educational pathway that could lead to a master's degree in operations management, engineering management or engineering, all of which are offered online by the College of Engineering.