Nowadays Swiggy and Dunzo are testing drone delivery of foods and medicines by collaborating with startups like ANRA Technologies and Skye Air Mobility. This signifies that the Indian tech industry is seriously considering drones for their mobility of business.
According to recent studies, most of the delivery packages in India are less than 3 kg and makes it possible to deliver essentials like food, medicines and vaccines. So with the demand for drones, the skilled Drone pilot growth also increases so this is a desired skill today.
Who is a Drone Pilot?
A drone also called an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) refers to an unpiloted aircraft i.e., without pilots, crew or passengers onboard needing a communication system with a ground-based controller.
A professional that operates a drone remotely is called a Drone Pilot or Remote Pilot. This pilot controls a drone by allowing it to take off, stay on course and land safely after a successful operation.
Responsibilities
The primary responsibility of a drone pilot is the navigation of drones along the designated paths and conducting safety tests before performing any operation.
Some other responsibilities of these pilots are:
- Planning the routes for drone flights.
- Operating the cameras and other equipment the drone carries.
- Evaluate and test the drones before a flight to ensure safe operation and its landing.
- Assessment of drone capabilities and undertaking safety tests of drones.
- Gathering information or producing aerial photographs.
- Analyzing the weather forecasts for safe flights.
- Documentation of logistics before and after flights.
- Monitoring the drones during ongoing flights.
- Performing equipment testing, troubleshooting and maintenance of the drones.
Required Skills
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
- Good problem-solving abilities.
- Ability to Multi-task.
- Detail-oriented and keen observational skills.
- Proficiency in electronic and mechanical skills.
Eligibility and Qualifications
There are basic educational requirements for becoming a Drone Pilot that are:
- The aspirant should be a minimum of 18 years of age and completed his 10th in English Medium.
- Join any DGCA approved Drone training institute to undertake training to become a Drone Pilot. These training programs are of less duration ranging from 5-7 days.
DGCA approved institutes
In India, there are 8 institutes that are approved by DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation) for drone training that is:
- The Bombay Flying Club, Mumbai
- Telangana State Aviation Academy, Hyderabad
- Ambitions Flying Club Pvt. Ltd, Aligarh
- Flytech Aviation Academy, Secunderabad
- Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Udan Academy
- Pioneer Flying Academy Pvt. Ltd, Aligarh
- Redbird Flight Training Academy Pvt. Ltd, Baramati
- Alchemist Aviation Pvt. Ltd, Jamshedpur.
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Employment areas of Drone Pilots
A Drone Pilot can find employment in the following sectors:
- Real estate.
- Film making.
- Insurance.
- Journalism.
- Agriculture.
- Construction/ Mining/Aggregates.
- Telecommunication
- Education.
- Public Safety.
Top Companies hiring Drone Pilots
The following are some of the leading companies that hire Drone Pilots:
- Intel.
- 3DR
- AgEagle
- AirMap
- Bentley
- Drone Base.
- Drone Deploy.
- Drone Racing League (DRL).
Job Profiles for Drone Pilot
The following are similar job profiles related to Drone Pilot:
- Remote Pilot In Command
- Remote Pilot Operator
- Drone Operator
- Remote Pilot
- Unmanned Aircraft Systems Operator
- UAV Operator.
Permits and Licenses for Drone Pilots
After you have successfully qualified as a Drone Pilot, you need to obtain certain and licenses to fly your drone and get registered.
- DGCA issues UIN (Unique Identification Number) for a particular remotely piloted aircraft except for nano drones.
- Obtain an Unmanned Aircraft Operator Permit (UAOP) from DGCA that is valid for 5 years before getting authorization for flying a drone.
- Comply with NPNT (No Permission No takeoff), a software program that enables every drone apart from Nano drone for obtaining valid permission through the Digital Sky platform before its operation in India.
Salary and Job Outlook
In India, the annual salary of a Drone pilot is around INR 6LPA. As you gain experience as a Drone Pilot, you can advance your career to working commercially, filming movies and televisions on sets, building an exciting career in photography and videography.
Drones are considered one of the emerging technologies in deeptech industry. Drones have become a key growth industry in India. Drone integration with technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) will boost their efficiency and appeal.
In recent government projects, drones are used in disaster management, railway inspections, detecting illegal mining and pilferage and also for the management of National Highways in India.
As the demand for drones in different fields is increasing rapidly so skilled professionals are required to operate them, thus increasing the job opportunities for Drone Pilots.
– Samiya Firdous
