NMC students at int'l drone competition

Region

June 16, 2012

NMC students at int'l drone competition

BY JAMES RUSSELL jrussell@record-eagle.com The Record Eagle Sat Jun 16, 2012, 07:14 AM EDT

TRAVERSE CITY — Jeb Bailey is a self-described computer geek with a passion for airplanes.

Now he's pursuing a career that marries the two interests. Bailey is studying unmanned aerial systems — what are commonly referred to as drones — at Northwestern Michigan College and this weekend is putting his knowledge to the test at an international competition in Maryland.

Bailey captains a team of seven NMC aviation students at the 10th annual Student Unmanned Air Systems Competition in Patuxent River, near Washington, D.C.

"For us, this is kind of the future of aviation. We want to be on the cutting edge of it," he said.

The team is one of 33 putting a self-built unmanned aerial vehicle through its paces, flying a predetermined route, photographing specific landmarks on the ground and recording their characteristics.

Tony Sauerbrey, who manages the UAS program at NMC, said the judges were impressed that this is the team's first year at the competition.

"What makes us a little unique is that a lot of the other students here are engineering students," Sauerbrey said. "We're really the only ones that are not made up of all engineers. These are students going for an aviation degree and studying (unmanned aerial vehicle) operations."

NMC began offering UAS classes in 2011, and interest is growing as more students realize the career opportunities the field offers.

"What's encouraging is that in the last three years, there are new legitimate commercial opportunities for UAVs to provide the civilian world with service," said Aaron Cook, director of NMC's aviation program.

More companies are using unmanned aircraft to inspect infrastructure like bridges, windmills and industrial flare stacks, he said. UAVs can save time, money and keep workers from unnecessary danger.

The FAA allows only limited commercial use of unmanned aircraft, but In the next 12 to 18 months, the agency is expected to release new guidelines that allow for widespread expansion of UAVs in the commercial sector.

"Companies are champing to get UAVs for things like bridge inspections, forest fires, tracking deer herds," Bailey said. "If you can think of something in air, UAVs can probably do it."

Bailey already had a job interview for an overseas job. A fellow student with an military background is already deployed in Afghanistan.

"He's making $150,000 to $170,000 this year, and he didn't even finish his associate's degree," Bailey said. "Learning to fly airplanes is not cheap. For an 18 month commitment, I could pay off all my student loans and be pretty well set up."

But for now, Bailey and his teammates are having fun in Maryland, mingling with industry officials and fellow aviation enthusiasts.

"It's a really cool style of competition," he said. "It's more like a swim meet — everyone wants to see the competitors do as well as they can."