DRONESDrone Piloting Proficiency Takes Flight with Certification Course

It’s a hot August day at the Maryland State Police Training Academy. The sun is shining bright and there’s a constant buzzing in the air. It’s not insects—though those are certainly out and about, as well—it’s small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS), also known as drones.

Dozens of officials from across the country, spanning a variety of different federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, have gathered together for intensive training. The “Advanced Open/Obstructed Test Proctor Course for Evaluating Drone Capabilities and Remote Pilot Proficiency” was developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in conjunction with the Science and Technology Directorate (S&T). The goal is right there in the title: evaluating capabilities and proficiency. Competent drone piloting is critical when lives are on the line; these devices are used in numerous law enforcement operations including search and rescue and counter IED (improvised explosive device) efforts.

“We first developed these test methods with the idea of helping the government to identify and test ground robots to make sure we have a standardized method and we’re buying the best,” explained S&T Standards Manager Kai-Dee Chu, PhD. “We have been using them to test drones for procurement purposes, and the first responders found out for themselves that these standardized test methods are even better than their training courses. So, they adopted these test methods and it’s just caught on like wildfire—not just in the United States, but now in Canada, in Korea, in Japan … the test methods are used by all these first responders.”

So far, this training has been offered three times—in California, Texas, and Maryland—since it was first introduced in January 2022, and it has led to more than 400 certified proctors. The next course offering will be in New Jersey this November. It consists of 24 hours of classroom and hands-on flight instruction over three days to “train the trainer,” so newly certified proctors can take what they’ve learned back to their home agencies and subsequently certify their drone operators. It’s a wonderful domino effect of enhanced officer expertise and increased public safety. The course follows NIST test methods that have been adopted, or are under consideration for adoption, by ASTM International, National Fire Protection Association, the Airborne Public Safety Accreditation Commission, the Civil Air Patrol, and many other federal, state, and local public safety organizations.