The Development of a Convenient and Consistent Methodology for Flight Proficiency to Certify Multi-Rotor UAS Pilots for State Departments of Transportation

To fly an unmanned aircraft system (UAS), commonly referred to as a “drone,” the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requires pilots to pass a knowledge test. There is no requirement at the state or federal level for drone operators to demonstrate the ability to operate a UAS. The National Institute of Science and Technology (NIST) has created an exam for public and private entities to assess basic UAS flight proficiency. It is the only nationally recognized flight proficiency protocol. NIST does not provide a scoring recommendation and leaves it to the user to determine the minimum criteria to pass. There is limited literature on scoring recommendations and none for state departments of transportation (DOT). This research will fill this gap by evaluating the flight performances of state DOT UAS pilots who participated in this study. Their performance will be used to provide recommended benchmarks that state DOTs can use with their flight skills assessments.