FH JOANNEUM and Graz University of Technology’s volunteer fire brigade develop training course for drone pilots
By Yvonne Gerster
16. November 2023
Graz (OTS) – At the AIRlabs Austria Future Conference at Vienna Airport today, the Institute of Aviation at FH JOANNEUM and the volunteer fire brigade at Graz University of Technology presented a training programme designed to train drone pilots from Austrian emergency services.
While the theoretical knowledge in relation to drone operations is tested by Austro Control as part of the drone pilot licence, the practical training is the responsibility of the pilots themselves. Holger Friehmelt, Head of the Institute of Aviation at FH JOANNEUM in Graz: ‘If you want to fly a drone safely, you have to make sure that you have the necessary skills. Unfortunately, there are hardly any ready-made training programmes to familiarise yourself with your aircraft and gain practice. It is particularly important for new pilots to familiarise themselves with the aircraft. A training programme can be made much more effective with a regulated procedure. This gave rise to the idea of creating a training course specially optimised for emergency organisations.’ The Institute of Aeronautics / Aviation brought the Graz University of Technology’s volunteer fire service (FF TU Graz) on board as a partner. Employees, students, lecturers and graduates of Graz University of Technology are involved in the project – including Bastian Wagner, member of the FF TU Graz and Bachelor’s student of ‘Luftfahrt / Aviation’ at FH JOANNEUM: ‘In addition to comprehensive training and further education, the volunteer fire brigade conducts practical research under operational conditions and supports fire brigades with technical expertise in complex operations. The volunteer fire brigade at Graz University of Technology thus forms an important interface between research and fire brigades.’
Research by the fire service and university of applied sciences for civil protection
An existing American training standard for drone pilots was jointly adapted and further developed for use in Austria. This standard is designed as a training course and is intended to support operational organisations in the future with effective practical training for drone missions. Holger Friehmelt: ‘The course is structured as follows: Predefined brackets and uprights are assembled from wooden beams, to which plastic buckets are magnetically attached. A pattern is applied to these buckets, which can be observed by looking into the bucket and is rewarded with points if correctly identified. The arrangement of the buckets results in a predefined sequence of movements that pilots must fly with the drone in order to see all the patterns.’ The project partners also aim to get as many emergency organisations as possible interested in the training course. Bastian Wagner: ‘Wooden beams, plastic buckets and magnets don’t usually suggest a high-tech solution. But these materials are cheap, easy to work with and available to everyone. This choice of materials makes it possible to equip emergency organisations with the course without high financial outlay. As part of the project, the necessary building instructions will be created and published. This means that the course can be replicated.’
During the dissemination phase, the Institute of Aeronautics / Aviation and the volunteer fire brigade of Graz University of Technology will be supported by AIRlabs Austria. AIRlabs Austria is a non-commercial innovation laboratory based at FH JOANNEUM in Graz for the planning, establishment and operation of civilian drone tests in Austria. It is funded by the Federal Ministry for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology (BMK) as part of the FFG TAKE-OFF programme.
With its 25 consortium partners, AIRlabs Austria offers many unique infrastructures, in particular low-threshold access to various airspace restriction areas. AIRlabs Austria also supports innovative projects, such as the development of the training course, by providing training infrastructure for professional drone pilots. ‘A great idea: cross-university collaboration and the whole thing mixed with motivated aviation students from FH JOANNEUM and members of the volunteer fire brigade at TU Graz as well as AIRlabs Austria as supporters. This is how this drone course for the Austrian premiere and the infrastructure offered by AIRlabs Austria came about,’ says Holger Friehmelt, who is also the Technical and Scientific Director of AIRlabs Austria.
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Picture ©FH JOANNEUM