Blue Mountain Community College (BMCC) is taking steps to fill the rapidly growing labor demand for the Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) industry.
On May 19, BMCC will host a special ribbon-cutting event to celebrate its first Non-Credit Training Certificate, UAS Professional Pilot. This certification is designed to graduate a professional workforce who operate on par with manned aviation organizations.
Wednesday’s event will be at 5 p.m. at the airport. Community members wanting to attend the ribbon cutting and event, held inside the World War II Bomber Hangar, can pick up tickets through the Pendleton Chamber of Commerce’s website.
Among those expected to be on hand are members of the newly formed BMCC UAS Advisory Board that include Delmar Aerospace, Pendleton UAS Range, Pendleton Economic Development Director and Airport manager, Cayuse Technologies, Elkhorn Media Group, Anderson Geographics, Hawman Farms, Frontier Precision, Air Supply, and Cunningham Sheep.
Most commonly knowns as drones, Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) are expanding into nearly every major commercial sector to more efficiently collect data and improve operational safety for people – from herding livestock to aiding law enforcement to inspecting critical infrastructure in the energy industry.
BMCC’s certification will include hands-on learning with both Pixhawk and Piccolo autopilot software and UAS.
Students who successfully complete the training will receive a certification for the skills and knowledge necessary in the field of UAS airframes and aerodynamic, system designs and components, auto pilot programming and fundamentals, sensors and payload operations, how to operate in National Airspace for UAS operations, and FAA UAS Regulations.
To learn more about the certification and how to complete an application to attend, visit the BMCC website.
