With greater use of drone applications in construction, UTA launches drone flying course
Inside the enclosed basketball court at University of Texas at Arlington's Maverick Activities Center, civil engineering students took drones out for an aerial drive. In controlled movements, pushing two joysticks on a small tablet, they steered the drones up and down and side to side in ideal conditions — no obstructions in the air and no inclement weather.
"It needs to be really stable," said Zhe Yin, an assistant professor of instruction in the department of civil engineering. He was on the court, giving his students operating tips. "If you feel like you're losing control, don't touch anything. The drone will stop and hover there."
For the first time this semester, UTA is offering this drone course to its upper-division civil and architectural engineering students. And it's the only drone course at a college in North Texas that is certified with the Federal Aviation Administration. But all UTA students can still test out their recreational drone skills, by joining the Construction Drone Club . And the expansion of the university's drone education does not stop there.
UTA is building a $2.3 million outdoor netted drone facility at its research institute, UTARI, in north Fort Worth, which will help in the testing and training of drone projects. The facility — with a planned completion in January 2025 — will be accessible to companies and local governments, in addition to the UTA community. This spring, the city of Arlington, in conjunction with the Tarrant Area Food Bank, launched a pilot program looking into delivering food with drones .
The FAA-approved class, "Drones and Advanced Construction Technology," is one of the few classes in the state that prepares students for an FAA exam, where if they pass a written test, they can get a commercial license to operate a drone. Students plan to take the exam this November.
In the class students get hands-on experience on how to operate a drone, and in the classroom they learn about federal regulations, aerospace regulations around the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, and the effects of weather conditions on drone flight. To get a separate certificate from the university, students need at least 15 hours of flying time.
"There is no textbook. There is nothing. This whole summer I was working on the slides for the course," said Yin, who is a licensed commercial drone operator. He created a 480-slide presentation that became his main textbook for the course. "My goal is to prepare (students) to be 100% ready for the exam."
Yin worked as a civil engineer for more than 10 years. He's seen how drones have transformed his industry. From surveying an area to creating 3D models of a project.
At Byrne Construction Services, a Texas-based construction company that helped build the Kimbell Art Museum and the redevelopment of Montgomery Plaza, they've been using drones for several years for inspecting hard-to-reach sites and progression photos and videos of projects.
"Before drones, we would hire helicopters. Helicopters would come with cameras, video recorders and record our projects." said Leo Escobedo, the director of virtual design and construction at Byrne Construction Services. "Now, I get to a job site, and I can fly. I'm in and out in 20 minutes."
Right now they're not looking to expand their drone program, but they may have some of their site staff get a license, so they can build up their fleet and have more than just Escobedo at the joystick at the North Texas construction sites.
Having an FAA certificate is a bonus point on a resume, he said. That's what UTA engineering professors are honing in on with their drone class.
"It's one of only two courses like this in Texas where the students can receive the FAA license for operating drones, and ours is unique in that it deals specifically with construction applications," said Melanie Sattler, the department chair of the civil engineering department at UTA. "We think it's really going to give our students an edge in the job market."
Sattler, whose interests include sustainable engineering, says drones are used for a range of things, including monitoring highway construction, looking at water treatment plants, peering inside sewage, and assessing flooded areas to identify the sites with the most impact.
Cassandra Sauceda, a senior civil engineering student, jumped at the chance to take the class. She's interning at a land development firm, and she thinks she can use a drone when doing a site visit, especially in places where it's hard to walk.
When she was inside the basketball court with the drone controls in her hand, she said she went into a concentration zone.
"As you're approaching people, it just would start resisting and wouldn't want to go forward anymore," said Sauceda. "When we were trying to land on the landing pad, we had to turn it around at points so it wasn't looking directly at us."
Sauceda learned that with drones she needs to avoid obstacles. And that's one thing that she's hoping to do with her career. With a license to operate a commercial drone if she passes the test this November, she's looking forward to a field of opportunities.
Shomial Ahmad is a higher education reporter for the Fort Worth Report, in partnership with Open Campus . at the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here .
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