- Sputnik International
World
Get the latest news from around the world, live coverage, off-beat stories, features and analysis.

Demand for Drone Operation Education Increases in US

© Draganflyer Innovations, IncAround 100 US colleges and universities have launched programs instructing people how to operate drones, as the popularity of unmanned aerial vehicles goes from strength to strength, NBC News reported.
Around 100 US colleges and universities have launched programs instructing people how to operate drones, as the popularity of unmanned aerial vehicles goes from strength to strength, NBC News reported. - Sputnik International
Subscribe
The rocketing popularity of drones is creating a new educational trend in the United States, as applicants rush to technical universities to learn drone operation. Amid the ongoing discussion about the rules of drone use, the devices have become one of the most popular gifts in holiday seasons.

Once known only as huge, multimillion-dollar military weapons, drones have now become 21st-century popular toys, some of which cost as little as $20, reports Washington Times. - Sputnik International
Popularity of Drones as Christmas Presents Scares FAA
MOSCOW, December 26 (Sputnik) — Around 100 US colleges and universities have launched programs instructing people how to operate drones, as the popularity of unmanned aerial vehicles goes from strength to strength, NBC News reported.

According to the media outlet, some institutions have reported year-over-year enrollment growth of over 1,000 percent. The unmanned aviation program at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, one of the country's largest aviation schools, grew from 11 to more than 200 students in just three years.

"The benefits this industry will provide, I think, are just going to be exponential," a drone piloting student at the University of North Dakota told NBC.

US Senator Dianne Feinstein will introduce a bill, aimed to protect US plane passengers by improving drone safety laws in the country. - Sputnik International
US Senator to Introduce New Drone Use Bill Amid Collisions
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has started a drone safety campaign making a video named "Know Before You Fly" explaining the rules of flying and promoting drone-operating lessons. "The thing that we have to avoid is any opportunity for aircraft to come into contact with one another because that is an extremely dangerous situation for everyone involved," the head of the FAA Michael Huerta told NBC News.

According to Wall Street Journal, some drone programs offered at US universities would be short without a certificate of higher education. Programs of this type would cost $24,500. Full-time programs would last four years, with a $175,000 tuition fee.

More than a million drones have been sold in the past few years, becoming one of the most popular gifts in holiday seasons.

The potential use of drones is growing in many spheres. The FAA has allowed a number of film production companies to use unmanned aerial vehicles, according to the Washington Post. In August, Google announced it was developing a delivery system using drones.

Over 40 percent of US citizens polled expressed distrust over the commercial use of unmanned aerial vehicles, following a proposal by the US Federal Aviation Administration to impose regulations allowing broader use of small drones for commercial purposes, the joint Associated Press-GfK poll revealed Friday. - Sputnik International
US Citizens Wary Over Possible Expansion of Commercial Drone Use: Poll
However, not everyone is keen on the use of drones – over 40 percent of US citizens asked expressed distrust over the use of commercial use of unmanned aerial vehicles, a poll by Associated Press-GfK revealed earlier this month. The poll followed a proposal by the FAA to impose regulations allowing the wider use of small drones for commercial purposes.

Drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), are aircraft either controlled by pilots from the ground or functioning autonomously following pre-programmed routes.

There have been a number of near-collisions of unmanned aerial vehicles with aircraft. According to an FAA document cited by the Washington Post, four people have been killed in recent years after a drone crashed into them.

Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала