A drone that is also called the "Industrial Revolution in the Sky". Did you know that there are schools where you can learn such drone techniques? Its name is "Drone University". Drone University, which was established in August 2016, has the mission of acquiring the knowledge and skills necessary for safe operation of drones, including "Tokyo Campus," "Nagoya Campus," "Setouchi Campus," and "Hakata Campus." We have programs in four locations. I want to experience such an interesting drone university! So, I tried to enroll with Ayaka Ikezawa, a talent / software engineer who personally uses a small drone called "DJI Spark".
It's hard to fly a drone! ?? The most important thing is "safety"
It was the first hour of practical skill that bothered me this time. The drone college program is a short-term intensive program with 14 hours a day for 8 days. Not only practical skills but also classroom lectures are emphasized, and the day before that day, he was studying hard from 9 am to 11 pm with a break. We gathered at the ground in Chiba prefecture from the morning and gave a greeting. In the tingling air, we will check the equipment and the program of the day. Details will be introduced in a later interview, but in reality, all the students at Drone University are aspiring professionals who want to work with drones. It's serious. Once you've created a practice course, let's fly the drone! ... not. The mission of Drone University is "acquisition of knowledge and skills necessary for safe operation of drones". Yes, Drone College attaches great importance to inspections before flying a drone. Check if it is a place where you can fly the drone, if there are any dangerous things around, and if there is no problem with the wind speed. Of course, we also carefully inspect the drone itself one by one. After checking both the environment and equipment, the flight finally started! The drone rises with the sound of the propeller cutting the wind. You will learn the basic operation while correcting the trajectory according to the hand signal so that you can operate the drone without deviating from the prepared course. Normally, a drone can be moved straight by applying GPS correction. However, at Drone University, we aim to be able to control the drone accurately by manual operation without making such corrections. Why do you want such a full-scale operation? We interviewed Mr. Shingo Nakura, the representative director.
Drone college students are all "professional aspirants"
--Mr. Ikezawa, how was it to experience the drone university program? Ikezawa: In the first place, there aren't many places to fly in Tokyo, so there aren't many places to fly. Therefore, I felt that practicing maneuvering in this way was a fresh and truly valuable experience. It was a bit of an experience today, but I felt that if I repeated this, I would definitely get better. ――It is a drone university that trains drone professionals, but why did you try to open a drone university in the first place? Nakura: Drones are said to be an empty industrial revolution, but if it were an industrial revolution, we decided that the first thing we should do was to develop human resources, so we built a school. There is no school in Japan that thoroughly teaches how to operate drones safely, so I hope that Drone University can become a model for drone schools. --Who is attending Drone University? Nakura: Almost 100% of the people are trying to get a drone to work. Even today, I'm an aerial photographer who usually rides on a helicopter, a person who wants to do logistics in depopulated areas with a drone, and people who are not only shooting but also civil engineering and surveying. Ikezawa: At the open campus seminar, we ask people to take the first lesson for 3000 yen, but at that stage, they say, "People with hobbies should go to another school." increase. I think it's too strict and you'll be disgusted. Ikezawa: Where is it tough? Nakura: The worst thing you should do when dealing with drones at work is an accident. If you have an accident, you won't be called by anyone. Therefore, I am trying to think and act so as not to cause an accident. Shingo Nakura, Representative Director of Drone University Born in Osaka Prefecture in 1962. He graduated from Rikkyo University Graduate School. I have continued my business as a consultant for the business concept for many years, but while conducting research related to advanced technology as a researcher at Keio University School of Medicine, I felt a big future for drones, and I felt a big future for drones, JUIDA flight skill certificate, JUIDA safe flight management. Obtained the qualification of a person certificate / JUIDA certified instructor. In 2016, he launched Drone University, Drone Lab Co., Ltd. Currently, as a representative director / chairman, while training those who aim for drone business at each campus of Tokyo, Nagoya, Setouchi, Hakata, as a director of Drone Lab Co., Ltd., domestic and overseas drone makers, drone application vendors, drone integration companies In partnership with, we are designing curriculum for aircraft, applications, and drone businesses.
The importance of being able to operate the drone manually without GPS control
――It seems that you are maneuvering with GPS assistance turned off at Drone University. Is that because of safety? Nakura: That's right. JAL and ANA planes are also self-driving most of the time during flight, but there is a pilot sitting in the cockpit. This is so that you can switch to the manual and fly in the unlikely event that the autopilot has an abnormality. And the scene where such manual operation is required is an emergency, and it is a scene that requires higher skill than usual flight. It's the same with drones, and as a professional you can't do it unless you can control it when strong winds blow or it rains and you can't help it. Ikezawa: The DJI Spark that I usually use has GPS assistance, but all the DJI Phantoms I used today turned off the GPS. I feel that it is very difficult to maneuver, but I have to get used to it in order to learn the driving technique in case of emergency. Nakura: It's not uncommon for GPS to not be available at sites where drones are needed. In the current drone industry, it is inspection that has a large share as a job, but GPS does not enter in the tunnel. Even if you use a drone to shoot a concert, GPS will not work in places with a roof such as inside the Tokyo Dome. It can be said that the scene where a drone is really needed is a place where GPS does not work. Ikezawa: It seems that you spend a lot of time not only on practical skills but also on classroom lectures. How much do you handle in class? Nakura: It goes without saying that we will squeeze in knowledge, but we will also apply for flight permits and procedures from scratch in front of the teacher. -It's amazing! Nakura: No, it's not really great at all. Because even a car license is practiced on the street. But most drone schools end up practicing in the gym. Even though the actual operation is done outside, ending in the gymnasium is like ending in the driving school. Many drone schools are too sweet. The dream of a drone has just begun. Generally, the drone has a strong image as an aerial camera, but Amazon in the United States has tested a delivery service using a drone, and SECOM has also launched a private crime prevention drone "SECOM drone" from 2015. It is attracting attention in a wide range of fields, such as the launch of the service. Therefore, what is required is an excellent drone operator. It is the drone university that we interviewed this time that trains and produces such professionals. The pursuit of strict safety because we focus on drone maneuvering as a job, not as a hobby, and the lessons that require a high level are completely different from the drone's image of "aerial photography camera used by hobbies". bottom. Drones that will show further success in each field in the future. It may be the graduates of Drone College who are driving it. Drone University Profile: Ayaka Ikezawa Born in Tokyo in 1991. She won the 6th Toho Cinderella Audition Jury Special Award. While she appears on TV programs such as information programs and contributes to media media, she is involved in application development as a freelance software engineer.