Airspace Operations and Aerial Imaging

This unit develops practical flight operations, safety procedures, and aerial imaging skills for small UAS missions. Students learn to interpret airspace, elevation, and airport operations; perform preflight maintenance and emergency/lost-link procedures; communicate effectively with manned traffic; and select camera settings and drone hardware to produce stable, high-quality imagery. It builds on basic piloting fundamentals and prepares learners for advanced mission planning, Part 107 application, and professional workflow integration.

Learning Objectives

• Analyze airspace classifications (including Class C, towered vs nontowered airports), isogonic lines, elevation data, VLOS requirements, and airport traffic patterns to determine applicable operational restrictions and communication needs for given flight scenarios
• Apply standardized preflight and maintenance checklists, cleaning procedures, and emergency/lost-link protocols, and complete a simulated accident reporting process consistent with FAA Part 107 requirements
• Demonstrate proper airport radio communications, traffic pattern entry/exit, and aeronautical decision-making when operating near towers, obstructions, and crewed aircraft in both controlled and uncontrolled environments
• Evaluate and optimize aerial imaging and data capture by selecting appropriate drone models, file formats, resolution, FPS, ND filters, camera movements, and stabilization techniques to achieve mission-specific quality metrics