Over five years, Warren County Community College (WCCC) in New Jersey has built what is recognized as one of the best drone training program in the country, adding professional staff, more than 100 unmanned systems and last week getting one of only five rare Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) exceptions to fly and offer training on the most sophisticated unmanned aircraft systems (UAS).
WarrenUAS, the college’s program for drone training, received what is known as a 44807 exception, which allows it to train students in the operation of more sophisticated drones weighing over 55 pounds. The exemption adds to a string of recent developments at WarrenUAS, including additions of new facilities, additional technology, and the hiring of instructors and advisers with industry-leading experience in the most sophisticated UAS operations for the agriculture, government and infrastructure sectors.
Just as notably, the college has obtained Part 107 waivers — among the first group of institutions in the country to have FAA approval to fly drones over populated areas and beyond the visual line of sight of the operator.
“This is another huge step for WarrenUAS and moves our program into an elite group of institutions to have the legal clearance to fly these complex systems,” said WCCC President Will Austin, for whom WarrenUAS is a priority. “Like us, the FAA is extremely cautious about the circumstances under which it allows drones to be operated, so we are honored that they have given us authorization to properly train the new generation of professionals to work safely in this sector of the industry.”
Kudos from partners
Nathan Ernst, president and founder of The Tactien Group, which recently began collaborating with WarrenUAS on training structures for the operation of larger and more sophisticated systems, gave WCCC kudos for earning the waiver.
“Our firm specializes in the operational oversight of these larger UAS, and as the industry begins to increase the utilization of these systems, the need for properly trained professionals becomes more and more critical,” Ernst said. “Having this authorization for a higher education institution is a ground-breaking step in the right direction – and WarrenUAS is a great place for it to be based.”
Jonathan Rupprecht, a drone attorney and flight instructor specializing in FAA regulatory issues, played a key role in the multi-year process of gaining the exemption based upon his over a decade of legal experience in obtaining hundreds exemptions for drone operations.
“The college is positioning itself as being the preeminent educational institution to provide training on how to fly unmanned aircraft. The college has carefully laid the groundwork to assemble the right team of experts with the goal of providing expert training in these sophisticated systems.”
Meeting a growing need
WCCC began its UAS program because it saw the need for trained professionals in this field and recognized the many ways these skills could be used on farms, for utilities, by law enforcement and in all types of research related to the environment and wildlife, Austin said. At the same time, there was a lot of interest from students who understood that they could have satisfying, high-paying careers in this field, he said.
Agriculture has been a priority for Austin personally and the program, with development of a precision agriculture program to train students in the growing uses of drones and robotics to make farms more efficient and sustainable. But students have also had opportunities to work on real-life circumstances where drones are used in law enforcement, environmental studies, infrastructure inspection and land use research.
Starting this fall, WCCC graduates can seamlessly transfer to Embry Riddle Aeronautical University as part of another partnership that allows faculty and students at both institutions to train together.
“The goal is always to partner with the best aviators in the UAS industry to provide students with the training and education they need to be safe, while providing employers with the professionals they need to remain competitive in the marketplace,” Austin said.
