Professionals looking to gain a better understanding of the emerging unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) industry can take advantage of a two-day course being offered in San Diego April 24-25 by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University–Worldwide.
Topics to be discussed include: introduction and impact of UAS; UAS designs; legislation, certification and regulation; industry concerns; applications; operational profiles; business opportunities; and the future of UAS.
The course is developed and taught by Embry-Riddle Worldwide faculty with UAS operations and research experience.
The cost of the course is $550, and continuing education units are available.
For more information: training@erau.edu
From my view, General Aviation includes not the interests of the UAS industry and not the interests of the people who operate them sitting behind computer screens. From my view this people are not pilots.
They are operators of machines which have the possibility to pass through the air, can carry sensors and may be can do something other. The operation requires more an advanced ability to handle computer games like the MS Flight Simulator.
For me, it is not and it can not all what moves through the air be part of “General Aviation”. For example I have not heard until now, that trained birds for hunting, their trainers and their breeders would be part of general aviation. The same with bullets which move through the air. Never heard that shouters are pilots of bullets.
The expression “Aviation” means for me only activities where humans move through the air and fly. All other activities is something what is very different from that, when airplanes take off for any reason and put real humans in the air, so that a safe flight with a successful landing is absolute required. And one main point for qualifying as Aviation is for me, that humans get a little bit the experience how birds might feel when they move through the air. When the fact of flying humans in the air is not given, all that activities have not to do very much any more with General Aviation.
We flying pilots and in aviation interested persons should realize, that flying UAV robots in the air will reduce our airspace the fly, and create many additional risks for flying humans in airplanes. And we should think very carefully about we should support this UAV activities or we better should defend the free and open airspace as it is today.
Sometimes there are business opportunities and developments what are in the opposite of what we as pilots and flying passengers should support. UAVs in the air will reduce the ability to fly, do to more complicated rules to comply with, more difficult airspace, more difficult to get pilot licences (more to learn) etc.. The result will be an additional reduction of flying pilots and less aviation activities from us humans.