Brisbane-based training organisation Aviation Australia has launched two unmanned aircraft training programs, a remote pilot course and a maintenance training program.
Later this month a partnership with Remote Aviation Australia is set to deliver a Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) course.
Those who successfully complete the Certificate III in Aviation (Remote Pilot – Visual Line of Sight) course would qualify for a Remote Pilots Licence (RePL), which allow for the use of RPAS for business or commercial purposes under approved weight and operating restrictions.
They will also receive an Aeronautical Radio Operators Certificate (AROC), which is a Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) requirement to use aviation radio frequencies.
Aviation Australia and Remote Aviation Australia said the course was developed in response to the growing use of RPAS, which are also known as drones, for work and commercial purposes in industries such as emergency services, the police service, research collection and surveying.
“RPAS are already being used as a business tool to access high, difficult or unsafe places,” Remote Aviation Australia chief remote pilot Ryan McMahon said.
“As a result, many sectors are ramping up their usage, using them for disaster management, infrastructure, agriculture, surveillance and resource purposes.”
“Unmanned aircraft are being considered to move freight and are even being used in a military sense. It’s a very exciting time for the aviation industry and the exponential growth of RPAS platforms require appropriately training crews. Our course ensures graduates will be industry ready, with the appropriate regulatory licences and approvals.”
The first course commences later this month and will be held at Aviation Australia and Remote Aviation Australia’s facilities in Brisbane.
Aviation Australia also plans to launch the country’s first Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) maintenance training program in partnership with US-based Northland Community and Technical College (NCTC).
The course, slated to begin later in 2018, would offer a “broad understanding of commonly used UAS platforms at a functional level, creating uniquely skilled individuals for jobs of the future”, Aviation Australia said on Tuesday.
Aviation Australia chief executive Bill Horrocks said there had been significant growth in the usage and application of unmanned aerial systems in Australia.
“There is a clear need for skilled and well-trained maintenance engineers to support this growing industry,” Horrocks said.
Established by the Queensland Government in 2001, Aviation Australia trains avionics and mechanical technicians and has expanded beyond Brisbane to locations both locally and overseas. The company also offers flight attendant and pilot training.
The company said the course, to be run in Brisbane, would be compliant with key international and Australian regulatory requirements.
Further, some NCTC-owned UAS training assets would be sent to Aviation Australia’s Brisbane campus in late 2018 for the practical component of the course.
