A new law that regulates civil uses of drones came into effect in the Republic of Belarus at the end of last year. The law was prompted by the risks incurred by the increasing number of drones in use and is bound to ensure security and enhance accountability.

The law has been drafted and approved by the Aviation Department of the Ministry of Transport and Communications of the Republic of Belarus. It provides that only certified drone operators can fly sub-150 gram drones. The certificate can be obtained at a specialized professional development course for drone operators. Starting from June 2023, any drone flights by uncertified drone pilots will be considered illegal.

Belarusian State Technological University (BSTU) saw it coming. So, our Institute for Professional Development and Retraining, the Centre for Industrial Drone Solutions “COPTER.BY” and several university teachers joined their efforts to develop a training course curriculum that complies with the up-to-date rules and procedures for the operation of unmanned aircraft, explained Vyacheslav Zvyagintsev, associate professor

of the Department of Forest Protection and Wood Science, one of the curriculum developers. ????

The scholar pointed out that BSTU is one of the first schools to get the official approval by the Aviation Department and is therefore authorized to train drone pilots in compliance with the existing law. ??

Though the curriculum is still brand new, the University has already gathered solid experience of life-long learning and research in the field of unmanned aerial vehicle technology.

Vyacheslav Zvyagintsev emphasized that BSTU has been running drone operation courses for more than three years and has trained dozens of drone operators who are working in different industry sectors. ???

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Test flight of agricultural drone used to protect saplings in the forest nursery of Negoreloe Forestry Experimental Station (BSTU affiliation)

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‘We have a fleet of modern unmanned aerial vehicles that are designed to perform multiple tasks, from photo and video monitoring to application of forest protection agents. When we have field training, we invite competent drone pilots who have hands-on drone flying skills and are able to teach them’, said Zvyagintsev.?

‘University scholars work hard to provide knowledge-based solutions for drone applications in various sectors of the national economy. The University has all necessary facilities and intellectual capacity to ensure high-quality training of drone operators and to address other challenges related to civil uses of unmanned aerial vehicles.’?