Schools
MCC In-Person Course For Drone Operators Begins This Weekend
The three-session certificate program will prepare attendees with minimal drone experience for the FAA Remote Pilot Test.
BEDFORD, MA —Middlesex Community College (MCC) has announced it will be conducting an in-person special certificate program for people interested in earning their Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Remote Pilot Certification, qualifying them to fly drones.
The $650 course titled "FAA Remote Pilot Certification": features three 7-hour sessions, the first of which is from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. this Saturday at the Bedford Campus, 591 Springs Road. The other sessions will be from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on August 6 and Aug. 13, respectively.
The school said the class is for people with minimal experience with an Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS), another name for a drone.
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According to course organizers, the course objectives are:
- To prepare attendees with minimal UAS experience for the FAA Remote Pilot Test, a written examination.
- To introduce attendees to the current FAA requirements for drone operations as they apply to both private and public entities.
- To make attendees familiar with the FAA remote pilot regulations.
- To introduce both current and potential drone operators to some of the most common safety practices.
During the first two weeks of the course, students will be in a "ground school" environment, where they will learn about topics covered on the FAA's Remote Pilot Test, including: regulations, the National Airspace System, weather, aircraft loading and performance, and flight operations.
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The third day of the course will feature "field training and test prep," which will focus on safe UAS operations through various exercises.
The course will be taught by David Price, the chief UAS pilot for the engineering firm Greenman-Pederson. Price oversees all of the company's UAS operations, which include: survey-mapping, structures inspections, thermal imagery, and training
Price is a former corporate pilot and professor of aviation at Daniel Webster College. He also served as the dean of aviation services at both Daniel Webster College and Bridgewater State University.
In 2014, Price received the Frank G. Brewer Award from the Civil Air Patrol for aviation education excellence.
More details about the course, including how to register, are available on the MCC website.
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