Sinclair Community College announced today that it has received a Certificate of Authorization (CoA) from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) which will allow UAVs to be flown in restricted airspace at Springfield-Beckley Airport. This will greatly benefit Sinclair’s UAS students, supplying them with vital foundational knowledge necessary for advancement in the field of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS). This is the first CoA to be delivered to a community college in Ohio and is among the first for any community college in the nation.

"This is another sign that the Dayton region is a serious and emerging player in UAS," Sinclair President Steve Johnson said. "Our program will now have the capacity to demonstrate critical elements of UAS flight operations in a real UAV environment. We believe that the UAS industry holds great economic development potential for the Dayton region. Sinclair is committed to being a leader in providing the trained workforce necessary to build a strong UAS industry in Dayton. We greatly appreciate the cooperation of all of our partners in government, business and higher education, as well as the strong leadership of the Dayton Development Coalition. We are tremendously excited about this development in Sinclair’s UAS program."

Sinclair’s CoA allows the college to operate two CESi SPEAR UAVs inside the restricted airspace at Springfield-Beckley Airport. The airspace allows qualified and trained operators to fly the UAVs at or below 2,500 feet Mean Sea Level and inside an area the size of several football fields inside the grounds of the airport. The SPEAR UAV can travel up to a top speed of 120 knots. The UAVs will be used to demonstrate critical elements of UAS flight operations, including autopilot wayfinding, Air Traffic Control Communications, vehicle operations and other aspects. Sinclair will formally unveil the UAVs with a public event at the CoA site at the Springfield-Beckley Municipal Airport at a date to be announced.

Sinclair also has one of the first UAS simulator labs for commercial purposes in the nation to be used for education and training. Sinclair offers UAS training through its workforce development division as well as a UAS Short-Term Technical Certificate program.