Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) Community Group

Remotely Piloted Aerial Systems (RPAS) are being used in higher education for a number of purposes, including research, teaching, and for business. There are Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) rules and regulations that govern the national airspace, but each educational institution may have their own respective regulations and governance that meet or exceed FAA rules. This group meets on a monthly basis and focuses on building community among drone pilots, educators, stakeholders, and managers who authorize flight requests in an educational context. We do this by sharing ideas, resources and experiences. In addition, the group will also discuss topics such as benchmarking, interpretation or understanding of FAA rules and regulations, lobbying for legislation, hands-on testing and training techniques, etc. A guest speaker joins the group every other month on relevant topics of interest to the group. Additionally, the group interacts and shares information with other groups outside of EDUCAUSE that manage, educate and build community around drone operations.