The South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) and Clemson University collaborated on an applied drone technology course that transportation professionals across the country can now access online.

Using State Transportation Innovation Council Incentive funds, SCDOT developed the 40-hour course to train its staff on the use of unmanned aerial systems (UAS). Although the course is tailored to SCDOT needs, the content is applicable to transportation professionals nationwide.

In an innovative pairing of perspectives that improved the curriculum, SCDOT staff and Clemson students worked together to learn UAS tools and techniques. The Clemson students benefited from the real-world experience of seasoned professionals and a firsthand view of working with transportation agency staff, while SCDOT staff were exposed to technology and applications the traditional students used.

Clemson delivered the course as both a traditional 15-week in-person class and as a 6-week online-live hybrid class. The course has four learning objectives:

• Prepare to pass the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Part 107 exam and earn a remote pilot’s certificate.
• Learn photogrammetric principles and use software to create three-dimensional (3D) models from UAS data, such as models for advanced as-built documentation and stockpile quantity extraction.
• Learn the tools and logistics to use UAS in the real world, including how to file a Part 107 waiver with the FAA, request airspace authorization from local air traffic control, and program a UAS for an autonomous flight.
• Acquire flight skills using a UAS simulator that approximates the physics of 14 of the most commonly used UAS.

The course development team found that using a UAS simulator was a critical complement to in-person instruction. One of the most challenging aspects of flying a UAS is scaling distances and knowing the proximity of obstructions. Program participants learned these key skills by repeatedly flying—and crashing—in a simulated environment. Students completed their flight training in person with commercial UAS aircraft using the National Institute of Standards and Technology open lane testing protocol.

The course development team held an outreach event for at-risk high school students to introduce them to UAS technology and spur interest in transportation careers. On “Drone Day,” high school students partnered with class participants at Clemson to fly UAS, collect data, and create a 3D model for as-built documentation.

Participants represented a range of SCDOT offices, including construction, communication, information technology, preconstruction engineering, planning, traffic engineering, survey, and maintenance. Through its professional studies program, Clemson now makes a self-paced version of the course available online. Clemson also offers an instructor-led online course and a one-day in-person flight training session.