Vint Hill, VA. It’s a bird! It’s a plane! . . . No, it’s a drone! On July 29th, Professor Christopher Braun’s Geography class took their final exam at the Vint Hill site of Laurel Ridge Community College. The final exam consisted of flying a drone equipped with a camera and then analyzing the images. Under the watchful eye of Jim Blanchard, owner of UAS Academy, the students surveyed the field across the street from the Vint Hill facility. They visually observed groundhog holes and other ground features by utilizing the camera-to-screen link, allowing them to see in real time what was below the drone. Afterwards, these images were downloaded to a computer for more detailed examination. This allowed the students to see objects and features that were not easily visible by just glancing across the field.
The class session began with an eye-opening discussion of the liabilities and legalities of flying drones and safety precautions that should always be observed. With the increased interest in these unmanned vehicles, more attention is being focused on the dangers as well as the possible uses of these machines. Students learned how to safely power on and “arm” (prepare for takeoff) the drones and how to approach an active drone.
There was also plenty of practice steering loops and landing on a small wooden board marked with an “H”. After guiding the drone in a series of circles across the field and performing a couple of landings, student George Trumbo commented, “Controlling a drone is harder than it looks.”
This class marks the first step of Laurel Ridge Community College into drone technology. The college will be offering Drones 101 at the Vint Hill site this fall. This class will cover such topics as employment fields in drone technology, safety, and legal aspects of licensure and operation of drones. The class is designed to be both informative and fun; it is designed for those interested in the use of drones commercially or for personal enrichment. The college is also moving toward offering more extensive training in robotic technology.
For more information regarding the program, contact Dr. Edith Kennedy, Associate Dean of Instruction-Fauquier, at 540-351-1516 or [email protected].