The applications of drone or remotely piloted aircraft are immense. Minister of Civil Aviation Jyotiraditya Scindia said last week that there would be a demand for one lakh drone pilots in India in the coming years. Last year he had announced financial aid worth Rs 150 crore to the drone industry for three years under the Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme.
India aims to become a global hub for drone technology by 2030. There were news reports that the Kerala Fire and Rescue Services has allotted Rs 2 crore to purchase drones to help the personnel during rescue missions.
But drone technology is no child’s play as specially trained professionals are hired as drone–pilots or operators. Many leading institutes offer specific courses in drone technology and pilot training.
A drone or an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle is in fact a flying computer with sensors, camera and electronic transmitters fitted in them. There is no need for a pilot to fly these extremely ‘smart’ aerial vehicles. It is either operated by a controller on ground or are self-operated using the sensors that are fixed inside. Drone can click pictures and record videos pretty accurately.
Immense applications
Drones could be used in national security by stealthily observing the enemy country and collecting intelligence information. Besides, drone technology is being widely used for security jobs, farming, weather prediction, mining, journalism, cinema production, emergency services, insurance sector, surveying, map drawing, real estate, wild life and forest preservation, police forces, civil constructions, traffic, oil and natural gas sector, information technology, electric transmission, solar energy, wind energy and entertainment sector. Moreover, the scope of drone technology has been explored in various fields. This is like to create new job opportunities too.
Career prospects
Those who have a flair in this field can opt for careers as drone pilot (remote operator), software engineer, mechanical/ aeronautical/ electronic and computer experts and data analysts.
Pilot training
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation that controls the civil aviation sector in the country recognises remote pilot training courses and institutes too. The pilot training has been divided into many sectors depending upon the Maximum Take Off Weight (MTOW) of the drones:
The categories are: Nano: up to 250 g; Micro: 250 gms – 2 kg; Small: 2–25 kg; Medium: 25–150 kg; and Large: more than 150 kg
Even though the operators of nano and micro categories need to be trained, they do not require licence to operate the drones. Approval would be granted to drones that weight up to 500 kg. The latest guidelines regarding this have been included in the government gazette that was published on 25 August, 2021.
(See website for details: https://egazette.nic.in/WriteReadData/2021/229221.pdf.)
DGCA-recognised institutes
Indira Gandhi Rashriya Udan Academy, Raebareli, Uttar Pradesh, that offers courses in drone technology and pilot training is owned by the central government.
Some of the other institutes that are recognised by the DGCA are Alchemist Aviation Private Limited, Jamshedpur, Jharkhand; Ambitions Flying Club, Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh; Flytech Aviation, Secunderabad, Telangana; Pioneer Flying Academy, Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh; Redbird Flight Training Academy, Baramati, Maharashtra and The Bombay Flying Club, Mumbai.
Visit the website www.dgca.gov.in to ensure that the institute is recognised by the DGCA. In most institutes, five–day training courses are offered for micro and small categories. However, the training for the other categories would be a bit longer. Those who have passed Class 10 and are over 18 years can apply for these courses. However, the applicants should not be past 65 years.
The licence is valid for 10 years. Aspirants should contact the respective institutes for detailed information.