Zebehazy, UAS Maintenance and Inventory Manager, said the university is working on applications for FAA waivers that would allow students to fly the Penguin C’s over the Bunnell field via a remote-control operation in Daytona Beach. #Flight school inventory maintenance managment how to#“ We learned how to pack the parachute that helps the aircraft land safely, and how to maintain it and fly it,” said Aldridge, now a UAS Flight Supervisor at Embry-Riddle.įor long-endurance missions, Aldridge explained, “it’s all about the sensor you’re carrying on the aircraft.” The sensor on Embry-Riddle’s Penguin C’s, stabilized by a gimbal, carries either an electro-optical camera with a 30-power zoom lens for daytime use or a long-wave infrared sensor that captures images in darkness.Ĭurrently, the Penguin C’s are being tested over controlled airspace near Bunnell, Fla., about 25 miles north of the Daytona Beach Campus. Last September, Aldridge and Zebehazy spent a month in Latvia, training to fly Penguin C’s before the aircraft arrived at Embry-Riddle. They are working with Alexander Mirot, associate professor of Aeronautical Science, whose Air Force experience provided him with deep knowledge of unmanned aircraft such as the MQ-9 Reaper. Shane Aldridge (’15) and Mike “Zeb” Zebehazy (’10), who both worked for leading aerospace and defense company Textron Systems, were recruited by Embry-Riddle to help run the university’s Penguin C fleet, based on their knowledge of a similar platform called the Aerosonde. Two recent graduates with unique industry experience are playing a key role in the game-changing transformation of Embry-Riddle’s UAS program. (Photo: Embry-Riddle/Daryl LaBello) Alumni with the Right Stuff #Flight school inventory maintenance managment license#“The goal is to ensure our graduates have the skills they need to run a successful business or operation using all types of UAS in a safe, responsible manner.”Īt a time when hobbyists can obtain a small drone operator’s license by taking a written exam, said Professor Alan Stolzer, dean of the College of Aviation, “The goal of Embry-Riddle’s program is to train highly qualified, professional UAS pilots who have deep knowledge of best practices in mission planning, data collection, data delivery and safety protocols.”Ĭlose-up image of the Penguin C unmanned aircraft. “Students currently learn to fly small fixed-wing survey platforms, and beginning in 2020, the military-grade Penguin C aircraft,” Wiggins said. #Flight school inventory maintenance managment simulator#They promise a leg up for professional UAS pilots-in-training at Embry-Riddle, said Professor Mike Wiggins, chair of Aeronautical Science on the Daytona Beach Campus.Įmbry-Riddle’s Unmanned Aircraft Systems Science program, established in 2011 as the first of its kind in the nation, encompasses three flight courses and one simulator course. With a 10.8-foot wingspan, the new fixed-wing Penguin C aircraft are capable of flying up to 20 hours over a 60-mile range while carrying electrical, optical and infrared camera sensors. economy and, by 2025, it could support as many as 100,000 new jobs, according to a White House estimate. The burgeoning commercial drone industry is projected to generate more than $82 billion for the U.S. The aircraft have applications for fighting wildfires, border patrol, search and rescue, oil pipeline and utility inspections, environmental assessments and military surveillance.Īll those applications suggest an array of career paths for Embry-Riddle graduates trained to fly Penguin C’s. The arrival of three Penguin C aircraft earlier this year instantly transformed Embry-Riddle, already the world’s largest unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) educator, serving some 1,500 students university-wide, into an unmatched powerhouse provider of both UAS flight- and simulation-based training.Įmbry-Riddle’s acquisition of the Penguin C’s also opened the door for missions controlled from multiple ground-based stations, called “remote-split operations,” as well as flight beyond the operator’s visual line of sight.
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