UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLES College Flight School gets wings
Christ’s College has become one of the first schools in the country to introduce the extra-curricular activity of learning to fly unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), sometimes called drones.
IT director Mr Paul Rodley says UAVs are commonly being used in a variety of ways, such as taking aerial shots in photography, fishing, herding sheep and in search and rescue, where they are often more successful than large planes. “A number of our boys have access to a quadcopter which is four- bladed and we will train boys to fly them and, most importantly, to know the rules and regulations around using them safely,’’ he says. “We want them to be trained with flight instructors using flight simulators and for them to end up with a set of wings that qualifies them to fly UAVs. “We have created our own flight school. Some schools have UAVs
for photographing sport events, but no other school is teaching boys how to use them. We are giving them the opportunity to get confidence, develop skills and see the possibilities for future use of the UAVs and similar technology.’’ Media teacher Mr Peter Hewson, who has his Wings Badge from the national organisation Model Flying New Zealand, will be working with Mr Rodley. He says, “We are offering a formal qualification which allows boys to be involved in a lot of events. These devices are not toys, and as a lot of Christchurch has controlled
air space, it important to know where UAVs are allowed and how they can be used safely.’’ “Through this, we want to give the boys opportunities to develop their ideas about technology, to think about how these devices can be used, and be innovative.’’ Mr Paul Rodley - IT director
Christ’s College Canterbury
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