Sporty’s Enhances Training Offerings with Unmanned Safety Institute

Sponsored by Sporty’s  —

Sporty’s, an Ohio based supplier of aviation products and services, recently established a relationship with the Unmanned Safety Institute (USI) to expand comprehensive online instruction for drone pilots.

In discussing the training courses with DRONELIFE.com, John Zimmerman, Vice-President of Sporty’s Pilot Shop, explained their value and why Sporty’s is enthusiastic about the relationship with USI.

“Our goal is to instill a safety mindset,” Zimmerman said. He continued, “Part 107 jump started a lot of people and created something of a gold rush mentality. That’s not how we operate. An important distinction is having a safety culture .  .  . There are rules for air traffic control, knowing how to read a weather report, etc. This is about higher level concepts such as air worthiness, risk management, and the ability to make responsible decisions while navigating through airspace. These are softer skills that are important for flying right and keeping people safe.”

The two courses being offered are:

The UAS Ground School Course, a comprehensive training program well suited for commercial operators and pilots of larger UAS. It consists of more than 24 hours of training covering: parts of a UAS; responsible operations; concept of operations; human factors and crew resource management; identifying hazards; aeronautical decision making; and emergencies. Each segment includes a video introduction, followed by narrated slides with pictures, animations and key information. Following the lesson, assignments assist students to apply the knowledge learned and assessments help review essential information with quizzes and essays. $399.00

The UAS Safety Awareness Course makes is an introduction to the world of UAS. Over three hours of training covers personnel; systems; environmental and operational hazards; preventing injury; airspace and flight planning; and a section dedicated to learning from mistakes. Lessons consist of narrated slides, animations and pictures and review quizzes to reinforce learning. $99

Both courses are compatible with Windows and iOS, with an internet connection required. The courses also come with a completion certificate, which meets some insurance requirements and may even make pilots eligible for premium savings.