KDOT to certify 20 employees as drone operators

Kansas Department of Transportation employees across the state were certified as Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) commercial drone operators as of Friday, Feb. 14.

Cooperative efforts between KDOT and members of the Kansas Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Joint Task Force continue to improve partnership efforts between state agencies in Kansas.  Drones represent a number of opportunities for the transportation industry to become more efficient.  KDOT’s Division of Aviation partnered with K-State Polytechnic for 18-months to establish formal drone training for infrastructure inspectors. The first cadre of KDOT UAS operators will graduate this week.

This 20-person class represents Division of Aviation, multiple bureaus of the Engineering and Design Division and every KDOT District across the state. 

“We are proud of the teamwork represented by this diverse class and look forward to leveraging new technologies to enhance the effectiveness of our Kansas transportation system,” said Transportation Secretary Julie Lorenz.

KDOT Directors of Operations, Engineering and Aviation are working collaboratively to find innovative opportunities to improve KDOT processes. 

K-State Polytechnic already partners with KDOT in continuing education; however, according to Kirsten Zoller, Director of the Professional Education and Outreach Center, “We are pleased to offer UAS training as our next instance of KDOT training.”