FlySafe: Drone Education Conference Takes Off in Atlanta This March

A Georgia-based drone company is spreading its wings into a new educational opportunity in UAV safety training.

UAVExperts.aero announced Monday that it would host the Atlanta FlySafe Conference, March 20-22 in Forsyth County, Ga. Billing its FlySafe initiative as “the nation’s most prestigious UAV operations and safety training program,” UAVExperts, a professional division of AtlantaHobby.com, hopes to reach a participant count of 150 for the conference. Each attendee will have the opportunity to earn FlySafe certification.

The conference will feature training on safety, aerial photography, basic and advanced flight techniques. Scheduled presenters include Trent Palmer of Copter Kids, the Roswell Flight Test Crew and Rich Hansen of the Academy of Model Aeronautics.

The largely unexplored space of drone-safety education is not unfamiliar territory to UAVExperts. Last month, the company registered more than 300 students into an FAA-compliant, online ground school. Participants at the Atlanta Conference will receive a one-year membership to the UAVExperts Gold Seal UAV Ground School as a bonus. “[The school] is available 24/7, allowing students to learn at their own pace,” a company spokesperson stated.

Drone operators completing the class will be able to take the FAA’s Private Pilot’s Knowledge Exam – a possible asset to pilots should the FAA move toward more restrictive licensing requirements for commercial drone operators in 2015.

“If you have not participated in a community event like FlySafe, the atmosphere of people sharing their knowledge is fantastic,” said UAV Experts President Cliff Whitney.” “[Participants] are going to pick up a lot of tips on filming, editing, flying, FAA and legal issues, and even running a UAV-based business efficiently.”

Drone education business models are expected to grow in the UAV world. As reported in DRONELIFE: “Over the past five years, dozens of American colleges and universities have begun to offer more classes and even some degree programs in drone-aircraft piloting and technology.” A recent US News report notes that colleges and universities accounted for 25 percent of more than 900 requests seeking approval to fly UAVs.