![]() While FSU's 35 approved drones that are being used mostly consist of devices from the Parrot company, Merrick says that more drones could eventually be purchased soon to make up for the ones that are grounded, but it is not yet confirmed. More: TCC aims to stay 'accessible' by not changing tuition. Other TCC news: Tallahassee Community College joins New College of Florida’s transfer student program Most of the new drones have already been delivered to the institute and are currently being used to train instructors, according to Wynn. “Technology is always evolving, and we are always on the lookout for how the college can upgrade our drones to expand our program,” he added. ![]() “However, they are not yet equipped with some of the more recent functionalities - like multispectral imaging - that would allow us to train in things like precision agriculture training for farmers.” “The replacement drones were, in some cases, up to four times the amount of a DJI drone,” TCC Wakulla Environmental Institute’s Associate Director Albert Wynn said. ![]() The purpose of the institute’s program is to educate students on the various aspects of the drone-related field through training courses and a seminar series.Ī new group of drones was recently bought for use in the program from companies including Parrot, Skydio and Teal Drones to replace the aircraft that were previously being used, which were all DJI-manufactured - 14 for training and 10 in the classroom setting. Through Tallahassee Community College, the Wakulla Environmental Institute’s Unmanned Technology Applications program is also impacted by the drone rule as a result of having to adapt to the new aircraft. The DJI drones that would normally be used by students are not as difficult to operate compared to the other types. He also says the biggest challenge has been in teaching since there are classes on FSU’s campus - such as Application of Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems - that teach students how to fly drones. The list was then archived and replaced with a set of minimum security standards that drone companies must meet in order to be approved, and they include the requirement for government agencies to only purchase and use drones that do not come from “foreign countries of concern,” according to the rule. On April 5, the department officially published a list of five approved manufacturers - Skydio, Parrot, Altavian, Teal Drones and Vantage Robotics - most of which are based in the U.S. The law on the use of drones was initially passed under Senate Bill 44 in 2021, which required the Department of Management Services to publish a list of approved drone manufacturers that meet security requirements. More: Florida State drone team brings help, expertise to Surfside condo collapse siteīesides DJI, Autel - another popular Chinese manufacturing company that makes drones - is also forbidden under the rule. ![]() Related news: FSU drone team, FAMU faculty assist with Hurricane Ian search and rescue efforts “Now we’ve shifted away from them to a Paris-based company called Parrot, which is fine, but they’re just not the same quality.” “For years, we’ve used DJI aircraft because they’re inexpensive and easy to use,” FSU Center for Disaster Risk Policy Director David Merrick told the Tallahassee Democrat. Out of the 14 banned drones, most of them are DJI drones the team used to help during significant events such as the Surfside, Florida condo collapse at Champlain Towers in June 2021 and Hurricane Ian in southwest Florida in September 2022. While the Florida State University Center for Disaster Risk Policy’s drone team currently has 35 operational drones, 14 others - which have usually been used during disasters - have been stashed away on its shelves because of the new law. Ron DeSantis administration rule took effect recently to forbid the popular DJI-manufactured drones (Da Jiang Innovations) and other foreign aircraft from being used by state agencies - including colleges and universities. View Gallery: Drones fly high above Tallahassee during hurricane preparedness trainingĪ new Gov.
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