FAA Expert to Teach N.J. College Drone Class

A public university in New Jersey is taking flight, joining a growing fleet of colleges to offer drone training programs.

Stockton University in Galloway recently announced the launch of a 13-week, continuing-education course, titled Introduction of Unmanned Aviation Systems.

Taught by Adam Greco, an FAA air-traffic account manager, the course will cover drone use, regulations, legislation, safety and drone history as well  as future trends, sensors and payloads.

In addition, participants will discuss privacy and Fourth Amendment case law relating to search, seizure and warrant requirements.

“When I teach a lecture — and I do that at least twice a month — I call my class ‘Keeping up with the Droneses,'” Greco said in a recent interview, adding that drone development “has turned things upside down.”

The course will dig down into the technical aspects of drone life including power capability, autonomous flight, satellite uplinks and direct line-of-sight flight.

Upon completing the course, students will be prepared to apply for an FAA Certificate of Operations and, upon successful completion of a safety course, be approved for drone flight.

Stockton students will be in very capable hands under Greco’s tutelage – he also  serves as the lead instructor for a course titled: “Introduction to the National Airspace System” for new hires, employees and contractors at the FAA Tech Center. Greco is also a non-resident instructor at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum and has worked with NASA.

Greco will teach a similar class at nearby Atlantic Cape Community College.

Stockton University joins the ballooning ranks of universities and community colleges across the world introducing drone courses  — in some cases, full degrees programs.

• In Virginia, Germanna Community College has created a partnership with Cedar Mountain Stone to train students to work with commercial drones.
• North Carolina colleges Edgecombe Community College and Lenoir Community College both unveiled drone programs in June.  LCC’s program will grant students an associate’s degree in drone piloting – the first ever in the state.
• In April, Piedmont Virginia Community College received FAA approval to conduct drone research and development for use by public-safety agencies. The school kicked off a new curriculum program in May that will include UAV pilot training, as well as technical training with a focus on drone deployment within police, fire and first-responder agencies.
• In December, Green River College in Auburn, Wash. announced the launch of a drone associates degree program.