Drones in School Event Featured at the Ohio Educational Technology Conference

Nine teams show off their skills at the Columbus, Ohio educator conference.

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Middle school and high school teams from Ohio and Pennsylvania converged in Columbus on February 15th to participate in the Ohio Educational Technology Conference Race. Educators attending the event were able to experience the excitement of drone racing while also getting the opportunity to ask questions of the students and advisers currently participating in the Drones in School program. One of the first races for Drones in School was held at this conference in 2019. "It's Great to have so many excellent teams participating at this year's conference." Tad Douce, Executive Director for Drones in School, shared, "The Ohio educational technology conference (OETC) is an excellent place to showcase our program. Most educators attending this conference are technology early adopters, so designing and flying drones is attractive to many of them."


 2023 is the first year back to a live conference for OETC since the COVID-19 pandemic. The Ohio department of education organized the conference and was grateful to have students and teachers willing to participate in the show. Drones in School also had great volunteer judges for the event. Claire Cannizzaro, Paul Adkins, and Spencer Cannizzaro from MultiGP provided race operations guidance and timing equipment to help the head-to-head race run smoothly. Claire also participated in team display and portfolio evaluation with Ohio Technology and Engineering Educator Association (OTEEA) representatives Paul Post and Dick Dieffenderfer. Tim Stanfield, President and founder of ReadyMade RC, also helped with race set up, judging, and clean up for the event.


The Drones in School team would like to thank everyone who assisted with event operations/judging, the OETC conference team for hosting, and all our great advisors and students who participated. Start planning now to attend the 2024 OETC race.

September 24, 2024
There is a great deal of confusion and misinformation regarding the regulations and requirements schools must follow when using drones in the educational environment. The majority of these concerns revolve around the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) licensing requirements in the United States. In this article, we will provide the correct information related to FAA rules so you can move forward with the Drones in School program with confidence. "The mission of the FAA is to regulate civil aviation and U.S. commercial space transportation, maintain and operate air traffic control and navigation systems for both civil and military aircrafts, and develop and administer programs relating to aviation safety and the National Airspace System." ( reference link ) The Drones in School program is designed to operate entirely indoors. The FAA is tasked with ensuring safety in the national airspace system (places where airplanes fly), a.k.a. outdoor space. Since airplanes do not fly inside buildings, the FAA does not regulate what you do with an aircraft or model aircraft when you are indoors. Therefore, no licensing is required as long as students and adults practice the guidance provided by Drones in School and fly indoors. When you restrict flying to indoor spaces, you can rest assured that you are entirely in compliance with the legal requirements for drone flight. However, to provide one additional layer of safety, we recommend all students and advisors complete T he R ecreational U AS S afety T est ( TRUST ) and download their official certificate proving they fully understand the legal requirements for flying outdoors for recreational purposes. Although this is not required for indoor flight, we think it's a good idea since it is quite possible a student or adult may want to fly outdoors at some point with their aircraft. When flying a drone like the ones used in Drones in School that weigh less than 250g (.55 lbs) for recreational purposes, the FAA only requires the pilot to have their TRUST certificate and follow the guidance of their community-based organization. (We recommend following Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA) guidance) We hope this provides some clarity for educators and administrators exploring the Drones in School program for their students. If you have any questions about regulations or the program and general, please contact us at: info@dronesinschool.com
By Tad Douce May 1, 2024
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