In this Elective, you will learn to pilot a remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) as defined by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA). We will be operating under CASA’s description of ‘Drones at school’ as follows:
“Flying a drone or model aircraft for educational purposes at recognised educational institutions is considered ‘flying for fun’. You can fly a drone or model aircraft up to 7 kg without needing a licence or operator accreditation, or to register your drone.”
At Level 1 you will learn the basics of drone flying and start flying indoors as you develop visual line-of-sight (VLOS) piloting skills. The drone flying safety rules, as specified by CASA, will be studied in detail to ensure all flying is safe. If accessible, you will also practise your flying skills in a flight simulator. It is important that you get to know how the controller influences the flight of the drone in a virtual environment before actually flying the drone.
Our new Drone Flying elective explores the theory of flight and how to control an aircraft. A cadet will operate supplied drones by applying the theory of flying fundamentals to a range of situations and obstacles. A cadet will initially hone flying skills on a PC-based simulator prior to mastering technique on the drone.