A unique project is underway for Manitoba student A chance to get a glimpse into the bright future of drone development.
For the past three years, the Scientific Experiential Aerial Research program, also known as SEAR, has been teaching students about drones over four days. If students successfully complete the course, they will receive a basic “Remotely Piloted Aircraft System” pilot certification through Transport Canada.
Matthew Johnson, vice president and director of education at Volatus Aerospace, said that for students interested in Drones and other RC aircraft, this course is extremely valuable.
“This is a very exciting industry,” Johnson explained. “These students are learning first-hand and getting hands-on experience and applying them to the real world.”
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That background involves ongoing research into Dutch elm disease. As part of the SEAR project, Johnson and his team have been investigating the use of drones to help identify the disease more easily and quickly.
“We’ve been doing research over the last few years with the University of Winnipeg to try to see if we can use multispectral sensors on drones to detect symptoms of Dutch elm disease earlier,” Johnson said. “We’ve seen positive results that show that yes, you can detect the disease, or you can detect symptoms of the disease as early as June.”
Students who participated in the SEAR program expressed their excitement as many have developed a keen interest in working in technology.
“I’ve always been interested in vehicles and transportation,” said Mahir Waheed, a student at Fort Richmond Academy. “Being able to fly and pilot an airplane has always been interesting to me.”
Another student named DJ saw the future potential of drones.
“Just watching the technology evolve,” DJ said. “Seeing drones with different multispectral lenses and different types of lenses that can take different types of pictures and maybe help us in the future.”
The programs have the potential to help it tailor to the regions of the country it operates in. For example, next week Johnson will be traveling to Portage La Prairie for a course where instead of identifying Dutch elm disease, they will focus on crop-related health.
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