DART runs its first drone pilot boot camp, with UCSC among the partners

Monterey Bay DART has completed its first week-long commercial drone pilot boot camp, the opening milestone in a two-year workforce programme. Fifteen people took part, ranging in age from 16 to 56, including teachers from Seaside High School. The course covered airspace classification, weather, regulations, aircraft loading and performance, radio communication procedures and emergency operations, alongside hands-on flight training. Ninety per cent passed a practice exam set at the threshold used for FAA Part 107 certification, which is the licence required to fly a drone commercially in the United States. It is part of MsUAS Pathways — the Maturing Regional AgTech and Aerospace Job Readiness Pathways programme — funded by the James Irvine Foundation and run with Hartnell College and Monterey Adult School. Over two years the programme aims to reach 150 participants and get 50 of them through Part 107 certification. The Santa Cruz connection is not incidental: UC Santa Cruz's CITRIS Initiative for Drone Education is one of the delivery partners. And the county already has the physical infrastructure this kind of training feeds — AirSpace Integration operates an FAA-authorised drone test range at Monterey Bay Academy Airport in Watsonville, with a runway and dedicated flight-test areas. A certification pipeline and a place to fly are the two halves of the same problem, and both now exist within the county or a short drive of it. Reported by Monterey Bay DART. Read the original: https://mbdart.org/dart-marks-milestone-with-first-drone-pilot-boot-camp