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General Atomics To Build Drone Pilot Training Academy In North Dakota

Posted by samzenpus on from the learning-to-fly dept.

An anonymous reader writes: General Atomics Aeronautical Systems plans to build a drone pilot training academy in the Grand Sky Unmanned Aerial Systems park just outside of Grand Forks Air Force Base. From UAS Magazine: "Hoeven made the official announcement about the San Diego-based General Atomics training academy at the Ninth Annual UAS Summit and Expo in Grand Forks, N.D., on Monday. General Atomics signed a 10-year-lease, Hoeven said, and plans to train 60 international flight crews annually. The flight crews will be from countries across the globe including the Netherlands, France and Italy, who come to the academy to fly Predator and Reaper drones, Hoeven said."

29 comments

  1. Nuclear. by sims+2 · · Score: 1

    But will it be nuclear powered?

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    Minimum threshold fixed. Thanks!
  2. Empty by Tablizer · · Score: 1

    Who would want to build anything in N. Dakota; it's fly-over country......oh

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    Table-ized A.I.
    1. Re:Empty by rossdee · · Score: 1

      yeah theres no trees or hills to run into, ideal for low flying aircraft

    2. Re:Empty by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      North Dakota is covered in ice and snow 3/4 of the year. Guess it is all indoor training, though.
      Should have put it in Colorado. A nice central location, not too bad weather, and they can see how well pilots can fly after a weekend on THC.

    3. Re:Empty by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Seems it's also a fly-over joke. Buzzed right over your head.

    4. Re:Empty by plover · · Score: 1

      Actually, why do they need a physical facility at all? It's not like they go out and interact with the hardware. All they need is to ship a fancy chair to the Netherlands or wherever, and train them virtually.

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      John
    5. Re:Empty by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Actually, why do they need a physical facility at all? It's not like they go out and interact with the hardware. All they need is to ship a fancy chair to the Netherlands or wherever, and train them virtually.

      Well we do have those too, but most pilots want to see and feel the real hardware, even when it is piloted remotely.
      Also, this is not just training for pilots, it will be training for the ground crews too.

  3. It's a flight school. Big deal by YrWrstNtmr · · Score: 0

    Why is this h.... Oh wait...Drones.

    1. Re:It's a flight school. Big deal by tehcyder · · Score: 1

      Why is this h.... Oh wait...Drones.

      And no doubt they're building the facility on a 3D printer and financing it by Bitcoins.

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      To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
  4. Cue the Kenny Loggins Music!! by waTeim · · Score: 1

    Wherein the Maverick AI enabled drone shows real promise until he loses his SSD backup best friend in a freak accident sending him into a deep depression and bought of soul searching. But he pulls his shit together in the end and saves the day.

    Yea, and let's throw some lasers in there too for good measure, and maybe aliens, not sure.

    Nah, aliens.

    1. Re:Cue the Kenny Loggins Music!! by turbidostato · · Score: 1

      "Yea, and let's throw some lasers in there too for good measure"

      Not shark-mounted though... this is North Dakota, remember?

  5. "who come to the academy" by PolygamousRanchKid+ · · Score: 1

    Yes! The Academy, as in when Kirk says, "It was standard reading at The Academy". Maybe we'll finally find out what that reading is.

    Of course, it might be boring, like "The Catcher in the Rye". But maybe it is some cool Kafka stuff.

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    Schroedinger's Brexit: The UK is both in and out of the EU at the same time!
    1. Re:"who come to the academy" by Impy+the+Impiuos+Imp · · Score: 1

      Wasn't General Atomics the company Tom Swift's daddy owned?

      "That'll get 'er," Tom Swift joysticked.

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      (-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.
    2. Re:"who come to the academy" by turbidostato · · Score: 1

      "Yes! The Academy, as in when Kirk says, "It was standard reading at The Academy". Maybe we'll finally find out what that reading is. "

      That's easy: their readings were the exact opposite to those of the arch-enemies' one... The Khan Academy!

  6. In case you had any doubt.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    That the inbred white ruling elite were preparing to subject the populace at large.

  7. brand naming revisit by Tablizer · · Score: 1

    If one inadvertently lands in a residential area, and they see the word "Atomics", they may not be very calm about it.

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    Table-ized A.I.
  8. "Drone Operator", "Drone Monkey"...Pilot? by zawarski · · Score: 1

    ... I don't think so.

    1. Re:"Drone Operator", "Drone Monkey"...Pilot? by Max_W · · Score: 1

      A modern manned aircraft is a flying computer too. It may fly without a pilot if necessary. A pilot is needed so far however for legal purposes and to make passengers comfortable.

      But as happened recently in Europe a pilot of a manned plane was a problem.

  9. Wait, What? by Greyfox · · Score: 1
    There's a company called "General Atomics?" I've got to google their web page...

    Their web page does not disappoint. I'll have to add a todo to search their careers page to see if they need any portal testers...

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    I'm trying to teach myself to set people on fire with my mind... Is it hot in here?

    1. Re:Wait, What? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They're a fairly large and diverse company, making a lot of scientific equipment, and doing work on both fission and fusion reactors (they managed DIII-D). I've seen their equipment popup everywhere from high power capacitor systems to high sensitivity radiation and light detectors. Unfortunately they've become so diverse in some cases, they have some esoteric research products that are quite good, but are no longer willing to make them.

    2. Re:Wait, What? by WallyL · · Score: 1

      Wait, what? When I first visited that page, I thought the tagline on the ticker read Global progress through technology. The world is over.

  10. I've spent a few hours piloting Reapers by Snotnose · · Score: 1

    Maxed out the Modern Warfare 3 stat a year ago, think I called in 5,000 reapers. Can I skip the school and just get a job flying one?

    1. Re:I've spent a few hours piloting Reapers by Max_W · · Score: 1

      Flying in a physical world is different from flying in a virtual world. There is no reset button. Service and maintenance of hardware are different too.

  11. Drone pilots are not pilots. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

            Drone pilots are not pilots. Pilots fly in their aircraft. Drone pilots are weenies.

  12. Training for murder by fredrated · · Score: 1

    Drone pilots are murderers pure and simple. Are their teachers accessories to murder?

    1. Re:Training for murder by Max_W · · Score: 1

      You mean probably militry drones, because there are civil drones, whch actually participate in saving people say in disaster areas, making inspections of towers (instead of dangerous climbing), etc.

    2. Re:Training for murder by tehcyder · · Score: 1

      You mean probably militry drones, because there are civil drones, whch actually participate in saving people say in disaster areas, making inspections of towers (instead of dangerous climbing), etc.

      I think Predator and Reaper drones (as mentioned in TFS) are by definition military aren't they?

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      To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
    3. Re:Training for murder by Max_W · · Score: 1

      Sure. I think using military drones and robots in general should be banned by an international tretay. Besides, they create terrible image for us, who work with civil UAS, too, and by this impede acceptance and do a lot of harm to economy.