Telangana State Aviation Academy Offers Drone/RPA Pilot Training Programmes

With the liberalisation of the drone sector, there has been a massive surge in the demand for the talent and skills to pilot drones. As Telangana is already a front-runner in the drones sector, the Telangana State Aviation Academy (TSAA) has undertaken an extensive revamp with the selection of a new Hyderabad based company as the training partner, replacement of drones with new versions, and an increased focus on working professionals in areas of drone application. TSAA has one of the largest airspaces in the country for drone training viz. 280 acres flight area and a 920 metres runaway and also a diverse set of small category drones across types such as Multirotor, Hexacopter Hybrid Survey Drones, VTOLs, etc.

With a revamped approach and prior experience of training ~70 drone pilots, TSAA has already conducted two new batches and is currently about to conclude its third batch of pilot training. In a first, the recently concluded 2nd batch exclusively had scientific officers from National Remote Sensing Centre & ICRISAT, and the felicitation of the scientists was done in the presence of Jayesh Ranjan, Prl. Secretary, ITE&C and I&C Department, Govt. of Telangana.

TSAA already has a rich history in training pilots for manned aviation and has been in existence for 7 decades, has 7 aircraft and two advanced simulators, and has been adjudged as the best Flight Training Organisation consecutively for the last 12 years. The re-ignited focus of TSAA on drone pilot training is in line with the commitment of the Telangana Government to ensure the state remains one of the key hubs for drone technology in the country.  

The drone pilot training is critical since drone/RPA pilot certification is mandatory to operate a drone/RPA as per the Govt of India’s regulations and operating a Drone/RPA without certification is a serious offence punishable under the law. The students completing the program by TSAA will become DGCA certified drone pilots and can legally fly drones subject to Drone Rules 2021 released by Govt of India. The training includes a five-day intensive hands-on training program that covers drone regulations, drone hardware/software internals, drone flying simulations and field drone flying exercises. 

TSAA offers Drone/RPA Pilot training and Drone/RPA Pilot Certification as the Aviation Academy is one of the few Flight Training Organisations approved by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation to officially run Drone/RPA Pilot Training Programs and award DGCA approved Drone/RPA Certification. TSAA is working in collaboration with Marut Drones, a leading Hyderabad-based drone startup, for executing a high-quality training curriculum by employing highly trained instructors, advanced equipment and DGCA compliant processes. 

Jayesh Ranjan, Principal Secretary, Government of Telangana, quoted that “Telangana has been a key advocate for the adoption of drone technology, and understands that the availability of skilled pilots is the most critical for expansion of this sector. Hence, TSAA is now forging new partnerships and ensuring the highest quality of training program to ensure Telangana remains a front-runner in drone technology.”

Candidates who wish to get enrolled in the training programme for flying drones at TSAA can visit this website here. For any information, candidates can email the team at info-droneacademy@telangana.gov.in  or call/WhatsApp on this number 9783333978.