About our Drone Program
What We Are About
IWLAR started its drone program in April 2021. Drones have proven to be useful tools for a number of industries including conservation, agriculture, forestry, real estate, construction, and search and rescue. Drones are also a lot of fun to fly recreationally. Our program provides an opportunity for new users to learn how to fly drones using either our indoor drones or our drone simulator and practice flying their drones recreationally at our lake. Our program is available to our members and Scouts affiliated with our chapter. We encourage more seasoned users to obtain a drone license and we provide a seminar on how to do that, complete with study tips. To obtain a license, you have to be at least 16 years old, able to speak and understand English, physically and mentally capable of safely flying drones, and pass the aeronautical knowledge exam: “Unmanned Aircraft General – Small (UAG).”
Safety
We encourage our drone pilots to fly safely and in accordance with all IWLAR, State, and FAA rules. All of our members and Scouts who wish to fly drones on IWLAR property have to complete our Drone Safety Seminar and understand the IWLAR rules. All drones over .55 lbs. [250 grams] have to be registered with the FAA. The FAA now requires that all drone pilots complete The Recreational UAG Safety Test (TRUST).
Upcoming Drone Events
- Drone Safety Seminar—Tuesday, June 11, 2024 @ 7:00 p.m., lower-level chapterhouse, we will offer our Drone Safety Seminar. This is required training before flying drones on IWLAR property. The course covers IWLAR drone flight rules as well as practical training on how to fly your drone safely and legally. No need to sign up for this course; just show up.
- How to Obtain a Drone License— Tuesday, June 18, 2024 @ 7:00 p.m., lower-level chapterhouse, we will offer our course on How to Obtain a Drone License. This course outlines the steps you need to follow to obtain your Part 107 license, and how to study for the FAA examination. A Part 107 license is not required if you only want to fly your drone solely for recreation. There are many career opportunities in the drone field including photography, real estate, agriculture, law enforcement, and security. If you want to offer your drone services commercially or fly your drone for non-recreational reasons, you will need the Part 107 license. You will need to be 16 years old or older for the license. Let me know if you would like to attend this course.
- Drone License Study Sessions—This is follow-on training to our “How to Obtain a Drone License” class. In these study sessions, we will cover the 400+ exam questions in the FAA examination pool. By going through these questions, you will learn how to read Sectional charts, FAA drone rules, and other skills needed to pass the exam. You will need to score 70 percent on the examination for the license and the exam has a 92 percent pass rate. You do not need to be a citizen or demonstrate your piloting skills for the license. We will only do the study sessions for three or more participants. Let me know if you would like to participate in these study sessions. Our chapter has also negotiated a 30 percent discount on commercial training through MzeroA if you prefer that route.
- Drone Skills Development—On Tuesday evenings when we are not offering classes, we will offer use of our drone simulator and the Tello drones to our members who have never flown a drone before or wish to improve their skills.
- Joint Drone Events with the DC Drone Users Group. These events are being developed now and will be announced when dates and locations are set.
Learn How to Fly a Drone
We provide training on how to fly a drone every Tuesday night during the summer from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. Training is provided via our flight simulator or our Tellos indoor drones. You choose that path you wish to pursue. You need no prior training with drones
Recreational Flying
Recreational flights at the lake are available most Sundays from 10:00 a.m. to noon, weather permitting. On non-windy days, members that do not own their own drone can use the Chapter-owned Tellos drones. Participation is open to members and Scouts affiliated with our chapter.
Prerequisites
- Completion of our Drone Safety Seminar
- Drones weighting over .55 lbs. (250 grams) are registered with the FAA
- You have completed the FAA Trust training