Starting fall 2022, Citrus will offer three new non-credit courses in drone piloting, drone mapping and aerial photography with the use of drones.
Ryan Woolford, a geography and global studies professor at Citrus since 2014, will be the instructor for the three new courses.
These classes have been in development for a few years and were approved earlier this year for the non-credit program in technical education.
The courses will prepare students to develop career opportunities related to the UAV industry and the competitive job marketing of drone piloting, Woolford said in an email.
“Various career fields now require the skills in piloting these remotely operated tools such as: agriculture, public safety, photography, real estate and forestry,” Woolford said.
Drones are becoming a norm and are being used by huge companies such as Amazon and Google to deliver packages, and are even used to see if enough fertilizer is distributed among farmers’ fields.
The first course, Drone Piloting License, NC 107, is an introductory class to drones and UAVs, which are small unmanned aerial vehicles.
The course prepares students to take the Federal Aviation Administration’s Part 107 drone pilot license exam, to work as a commercial pilot in the United States, Woolford said in an email.
A pilot’s license is required to fly a drone so that people understand the regulations, procedures and operating requirements to safely fly one.
Students will learn the theory of flight and work hands-on to become familiar with basic drone systems in this course.
The second course, Drone Mapping, NC 108, is an introduction to using drone mapping and geospatial data analysis tools to prepare students for employment in the UAV industry.
This course includes hands-on experience in drone mission planning, performance of aerial data collection and production of site reports with the use of orthomosaic images, which are high-resolution images of terrain, and 3D models.
The third course, Commercial Drone Applications and Flight Training, NC 109, will introduce students to commercial drone applications and will include advanced hands-on drone flight training.
The class will help students understand commercial photography, cinematography, photogrammetry, and media editing skills to use in real estate, agriculture, construction, firefighting, home inspection and thermal inspection industries.
Enrollment has recently opened and room remains for students to join. All students are eligible to enroll and no past experience is necessary.
Students can learn the basics of aerial photography and prepare to take the FAA Part 107 exam.
The courses also will prepare students to develop career opportunities related to the UAV industry and the competitive job marketing of drone piloting, Woolford said.
“Various career fields now require the skills in piloting these remotely operated tools such as: agriculture, public safety, photography, real estate and forestry,” Woolford said.
Drones are becoming a norm and are being used by huge companies such as Amazon and Google to deliver packages, and are even used to see if enough fertilizer is distributed among farmers’ fields, Woolford said
All classes will be on campus and will take place in a classroom and outside in field training.
“The goal of Citrus College’s drone technology program is to facilitate student’s understanding of proper and safe piloting, weather effects, federal space and regulations,” Woolford said in an email. “Students will also learn the ethical issues while preparing drones for entry into employment related to the commercial unmanned aerial industry.”
