On Wednesday October 9, from 4:00 – 5:00 pm, University of Maine at Augusta’s Rockland Center will host an information session on their Unmanned Aircraft Systems courses and certification. The session will be held at the URock campus on the 4th floor of the Breakwater Building on Rte 1 in Rockland.

This event is free and open to the public. High school students, college students, parents, adults in career transition, educators and professionals are welcome.

Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) commonly referred to as drones, has become an increasingly important part of the business aviation fleet as the FAA develops rules to safely integrate these aircraft into the National Airspace System (NAS). Businesses are required to have trained pilots to operate UAVs so they can take best advantage of their capabilities. The University of Maine at Augusta will play an active role in training operators who can help develop programs and services for business.

According to the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI), UAS integration into the NAS is expected to have enormous economic and job creation impacts in the United States. These impacts are related to direct, indirect and induced effects of total spending in UAS development. UAS integration in the next 15 years is expected to contribute $82.1 billion to the nation’s economy by agriculture, public safety and other activities and 103,776 new jobs will be created.

The University of Maine at Augusta provides for the study of Unmanned Aircraft Systems through credit and non-credit coursework and as part of the Advanced Certificate in Unmanned Aircraft Systems Operations. The UAS operations focused curriculum provides the student with the skills and knowledge to be successful as a UAS pilot and operator.

For more information visit: https://www.uma.edu/academics/programs/aviation/uas/ or phone the UMA Rockland Center at 596-6906.