Education Through Aviation
by Bill Pritchett, Education Director
“Sometimes you’ve just got to let an umpire know that you’re not satisfied with his decision. That they’ve missed the play in your opinion. Not that it’s going to do you any good, but you’ve got to let them know.” —Tommy Lasorda
I can’t imagine anyone not enjoying Tommy Lasorda managing a team in a game. He was very good at expressing his opinion, especially to umpires. All the while he recognized the possibility that it might not do any good, and yet, he never stopped.
We’re kind of like that as an association, in that we regularly express our opinion to the FAA and sometimes it seems as if it doesn’t do us any good. The drone phenomenon is pretty well known and widely understood by now. Our membership has stood at the forefront of it all, and while we have made progress, a lot remains to be done.
Allow me to share the following from Brett Velicovich, a U.S. Army veteran and former military intelligence analyst with the 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta. His new memoir is Drone Warrior.
“Instead of banning drones out of pure laziness, the FAA could and should be identifying proper use boundaries so more lives can be saved using them. We should be making it a benefit to this effort, turning this volunteer drone force into something for good. Simply issuing blanket orders for no drone zones or Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFRs) every time the FAA simply doesn’t want to have to deal with drones, is not providing proper humanitarian solutions to the aid efforts needed in this type of disaster or future ones.
“Commercial drones can also help Harvey response teams quickly evaluate changes in the landscape, they can help build maps for victim locations, inform rebuilding efforts and identify and restore critical infrastructure like cellphone towers. They can deliver medical supplies and clean food and water where rescuers can’t. Drones can quickly help provide mobile electricity, cellphone coverage transmissions, and internet to areas who have lost it due to the hurricane.
“NASA recently flew a drone into the eye of a hurricane to collect data to predict the intensity and path. Even recently, drone pilots in Louisiana spent days flying over roads, highways, and neighborhoods, assisting citizens in confirming their loved ones were safe during flooding. A veteran pilot flying an off the shelf drone saved the life of a Carolina man trapped at his residence nearly underwater during Hurricane Matthew.
“Yes, there are issues where drones have done more bad than good for relief efforts. That’s why we need the FAA to fix it—drones should be a major part of the discussion. Just like the Red Cross creates areas to provide medical aid and provides volunteers for relief efforts, local drone teams can be created to do the same in a safe and organized manner.
“The FAA should be identifying specific drone volunteer base stations and assigning organizers within the FAA’s apparatus to avoid previous mistakes. Teams could be divided by area and drone expertise including mapping, thermal imaging, photography, delivery, search and rescue. With correct communications and flight guidelines, the FAA could still ensure that safe measures are taken by all of those involved. Areas can be identified where helicopters are not operating, altitude restrictions can be put in place and limits can be put on the number of drones per area.
“If our volunteer drone army had the opportunity to work together and know where to go to best use their expertise, these volunteers could provide many benefits to those still stuck in harmful conditions.
“Just like boats driving through flooded streets, and volunteers coming in, communications between groups can help avoid disaster. They should provide guidelines for drone relief groups to operate safely within. Drone pilots in this case would have to be very careful in their efforts and they shouldn’t be flying where helicopters are located. If all volunteer drone teams were deployed and were allowed to operate within specific standards, this could be easily avoided. Instead, we have a ban on drones and people are going to fly them anyway without proper communications between the groups.
“Volunteer pilots wanting to help shouldn’t be restricted any more than volunteer boat outfits are, like the great Americans of the Cajun Navy.”
Brett helps all of us understand the huge potential for drones being helpful. Lifesaving, in fact. And it’s time that we turn up the volume and make sure the FAA recognizes drones for good and works to make the great new technology available to all emergency responders. Tommy Lasorda wouldn’t have stopped expressing himself!
I’ve just returned from the 70th Annual University Aviation Association Conference in Riverside, California. I was honored to be a speaker and present our latest resource, the UAS4STEM Collegiate Challenge. This was the perfect place and audience to share what we’re up to.
Following two years of high school challenges, we’ve added a division for colleges and universities. The response was fantastic, and my thanks to Dawn Vinson, executive director, and Ryan Wallace, chair, for the University Aviation Association UAS Committee and Professor of Aerospace Science, Polk State College. Ryan has been instrumental in the relationship we’ve formed with UAA and the development of the collegiate challenge.
Details are being finalized, but in a nutshell, this challenge is about the use of Pix4D software. The drone used is up to the competing team—so many already have them that we wanted to make it simple regarding the platform. This challenge is not about stick-and-rudder skills, rather, it’s about using and learning this software, and that means jobs!
Education through aviation, indeed!
Fly and have fun!
