By KIRSTEN ZOLLER
K-State News
SALINA — Kansas State University Salina Aerospace and Technology Campus offers its award-winning training on uncrewed aircraft systems, or UAS, at no cost to Kansas middle and high school teachers.
Attendees
will experience an immersive, one-week program from June 12 to 16. After
completing the program, attendees will be Federal Aviation
Administration certified as commercial UAS pilots. Attendees will also
receive a K-State microcredential, gain fundamental multirotor flight
skills from hands-on flight instruction and understand all opportunities
to implement a UAS curriculum at their respective schools.
The UAS training for teachers program,
held in Salina, includes three days of in-person classroom training on
UAS operations, FAA regulations, safety considerations and all topics
related to the FAA's 14 CFR Part 107 written exam, which is taken
on-site at the completion of the course. K-State Salina equips attendees
with the knowledge needed to pass the FAA exam.
Attendees will
also receive hands-on multirotor flight training over two days, a
feature unavailable in online-only training. Special attention will be
given to applying safety practices during flight and basic proficiency
knowledge of uncrewed aerial vehicle flight operations.
Instruction
is led by K-State Salina's nationally recognized UAS program. K-State
Salina was the second institution in the country to offer a UAS degree
and continues to be recognized as a leader in UAS education and applied
research.
"We have been offering this program since 2016 at the
inception of the FAA's regulations on commercial UAS operations. Our
program is proven, and we are proud to be able to offer it as a
strategic partnership with middle and high schools across the region,"
said Kurt J. Carraway, UAS executive director of K-State's Applied
Aviation Research Center and UAS department head at K-State Salina.
"This is an opportunity to deepen our teacher relationships, helping us
educate secondary education students about exciting aviation career
opportunities — a step toward creating a deeper aviation workforce in
Kansas."
Attendees will also participate in a collaborative
session with K-State Salina administration on developing UAS curriculum
in their respective high schools. Teachers who are just beginning a UAS
program, those who have already had success in offerings, or those
considering developing a program are encouraged to attend.
"As
part of our land-grant mission and strategic initiatives toward being a
leading aerospace education institution, outreach to middle and high
schools is a commitment we continue to deliver on," said Kirsten Zoller,
executive director of strategic initiatives for K-State Salina. "This
program, first offered in 2019, is an opportunity to expand UAS
education across the state and excite the next generation of aviators.
In addition to providing professional development to educators, we are
excited to expand pathways for students to achieve Kansas State
University academic credentials before their high school graduation."
Attendees
will stay in the K-State Salina residence halls and dine on campus at
no cost. All instruction, materials, flight training and FAA exam fee,
are provided in kind by K-State. Registration
for the course is now open. Spots are limited to the first 20
registrants and are expected to reach capacity quickly. Registration
closes on May 25 or upon reaching program capacity. Please contact
K-State Salina's Professional Education and Outreach at [email protected] with questions.