Drone Operations, Imaging, and Safety

This unit emphasizes hands-on assembly, safe flight operations, maintenance, and aerial imaging fundamentals for small unmanned aircraft systems. Students build on introductory concepts to develop piloting skills (indoor/outdoor, emergency procedures), perform basic repairs and battery care, optimize camera and gimbal settings, and understand regulatory requirements for commercial and international use.

Learning Objectives

• Analyze drone components and complete safe assembly and routine maintenance procedures, including correct lithium polymer (LiPo) battery handling and DIY repairs, to ensure system airworthiness
• Demonstrate precise directional control and piloting skills in supervised indoor and outdoor flight scenarios, including use of standard mode and execution of emergency procedures to reduce crash risk
• Apply imaging and stabilization techniques by configuring video resolution and gimbal settings, managing payload weight and add-on cameras, and producing viewable stills and video
• Evaluate federal, state, and international regulatory requirements and commercial approval processes, and implement strategies (e.g., monitoring updates) to maintain legal compliance