More Than Just Drones: NCC Unmanned Aerial Systems Class Now Available
“Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS): More Than Just Drones” is on the schedule of classes coming up for the summer semester in the Continuing Education department at Nash Community College. A Photographer and Pilot, class Instructor Garry Hodges, is the local Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Safety Representative. He is looking forward to teaching those enrolled about the legalities, calibration, uses and classifications of drones and related vehicles in this emerging field.
On Saturday, June 13 from 9 am – 4 pm, Hodges will instruct participants about the ins and outs of drones and other unmanned aerial systems on the Colleges campus. With both a classroom and outdoor flying session included, NCC Director of Media Production, Andrew Small, who is registered for the class, is looking forward to learning more about flying drones. Small, a drone pilot, flies his personal ‘DJI Phantom II’ to obtain footage that would otherwise require a helicopter. “Unmanned aerial systems have taken off – pun intended – in the past couple years and the technology continues to grow at an amazing rate. Applications for these small aircraft are only limited to the imagination of the designers. They are used for agriculture, ecosystem monitoring, firefighting command and control, search and rescue, real estate, surveying … just to name a few. I imagine we will see the UAS industry continue to grow, federal restrictions lightened and a booming job market for UAS pilots, engineers, programmers, designers, and application specialists,” stated Small.
Participants in the class are not required to have their own drone but may bring it if they wish. Hodges will explain how to use UAVs and QuadCopters, introducing students to the different devices, and will provide hands-on demonstrations on the use of the controller board as students practice flying the aircraft, teaching technique and safety regulations in the process. Additionally, students will learn how to capture video using UAVs and edit the video. Joining Hodges as instructors for the class will be instructors with additional and diverse drone flying experience.
Hodges’ started his flying career in 1975 and has flown all over the southeast by his own hand, in various types of planes. After renting airplanes for 35 years, he purchased his own in 2010, using it primarily for aerial photography throughout the southeast United States. As a volunteer safety representative for the FAA, Hodges assists in educating the region about flight safety. He served as president of the Nash-Edgecombe-Wilson Counties Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA), leading a group of nearly 40 pilots of all backgrounds. His interest in drones developed with his desire to capture aerial photos and video that cannot not be obtained via traditional aircraft.
To learn more about or register for the “Unmanned Aerial Systems: More Than Just Drones” class, please visit www.nashcc.edu/conedreg or call 252-451-8216.
