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Kansas State University’s polytechnic campus has set a new precedent in the unmanned aircraft systems industry, becoming the first entity in the United States to receive approval from the Federal Aviation Administration to provide UAS commercial flight training to both students and outside companies. The authorization, which is referred to as a Section 333 exemption, allows Kansas State Polytechnic to create and conduct an extensive flight training program for unmanned aircraft operations. Previously, motion picture and television filming and aerial data collection have been given permission for commercial UAS operations; however, the approval has been limited to only training internally and in these two mission-specific areas alone. Kansas State Polytechnic’s authorization is open to students both internal and external and is not restricted to any one particular application. “Kansas State’s UAS program continues to be a leader and innovator in the UAS industry,” said Kurt Carraway, Kansas State Polytechnic’s acting UAS program manager. “Our goal is to produce the most relevant and professional graduate possible, and we can now offer an exclusive flight training program that will take the student experience to the next level. Kansas State Polytechnic is essentially setting the standard on how to educate tomorrow’s unmanned pilots.” To learn more about enrollment in the unmanned aircraft systems program, contact Michael Most, associate professor of UAS, at 785-826-2681 or mtmost@k-state.edu. To inquiry about commercial flight training, contact Carraway at 785-826-2624 or kcarraway@k-state.edu.
