Prelims of Drone Olympics

The much-anticipated Drone Olympics, which is expected to spice up the Aero India 2019, had its prelims at Jakkur Aerodrome with the Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) making a big splash here on Monday.

The Olympics that aims to provide a boost to unmanned aerial vehicle makers had many national and international contestants in attendance. The competition included formation flying challenge, surveillance challenge and payload drop challenge to evaluate the capacity of the UAVs.

As many as 121 applications were submitted for the event, out of which, only 57 qualified for the prelims on Monday. “There were many advanced aircraft systems in UAVs here including Radio Controlled jets, hybrid aircraft and multi-rotor and fixed-wing aircraft. It was an awesome show with plenty of business potential and growth,” said a participant who did not wish to be quoted.

A total cash prize of about Rs 38 lakh will be given to the winners to be announced at the finale on February 21.

The Government Flight Training School (GFTS) situated at Jakkur Aerodrome on Monday announced that it has been recognised by the Director General Of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to impart training on Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in India.

The operations will be led by a team of specialists that include senior DGCA certified UAV instructors and DGCA certified Remotely Piloted Aerial System Trainers, in accordance with DGCA CAR Section 3 Series X Part 1.

“This is in alignment with the new Drone Ecosystem Policy Roadmap - January 2019 released by Jayant Sinha, Minister of State for Civil Aviation, at the Global Aviation Summit held in Mumbai,” said Capt Raejus Job, senior air traffic controller, Jakkur Aerodrome.

He added, “GFTS is set to commence operations shortly. Once final clearances are obtained, it will set the standard as a world-class facility with a fully equipped drone lab, flight simulators, custom built multirotor and fixed-wing UAVs, along with a comprehensive digital syllabus designed to ensure safe and responsible drone operators are released into the active aviation eco-space.”