22 complete nation’s firstever drone piloting course
MIRI: Twenty-two participants completed Malaysia’s first- ever drone piloting course held over two days recently at Curtin University, Malaysia ( Curtin Malaysia).
The ‘An Introduction to Basic Drone Flying’ course was conducted by Avetics Malaysia in collaboration with the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers ( IEEE) Curtin Malaysia Student Branch, and is fully- endorsed by the Department of Civil Aviation of Malaysia ( DCA).
Curtin Malaysia, in a statement, said the course provided full drone pilot certification upon completion to the 22 participants, included staff and students of Curtin Malaysia and representatives from DCA, Department of Survey and Mapping Malaysia, Land and Survey Department and Solaris Infi nity Sdn. Bhd.
In addition to providing instruction and hands- on experience on piloting drones, the course introduced the participants to the fundamentals of drone operations in business processes - from the basics of piloting to the regulatory framework required for drone operations.
It involved theory classes and drone simulation activities, followed by practical drone flights.
Facilitating the course were experienced industrial drone pilots from Avetics Malaysia with a combined 14 years of experience in handling remotecontrolled aircraft and over 800 hours of industrial drone flight operations certified by the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS).
According to the trainers, more advanced courses in drone flying will be organised in the future for those equipped with relevant technical knowledge and are seeking to acquire certification.
President of IEEE Curtin Malaysia Student Branch Kong Sheng How said the course was very fruitful for the participants as most had no prior experience piloting drones, and it gave them the opportunity to explore drone technologies and basic droneflying skills.
Kong opined that drone technology is a growing technological trend that will require a lot of well-trained and professional drone pilots.
He added that as drones are increasingly being used in industry, knowledge and skills in piloting drones could be useful to Curtin Malaysia’s engineering students in their future careers.
To fi nd out more about Avetics Malaysia’s courses, visit www. avetics.com/academy or contact Sanudra Aerial Solution at 085320106.