This year, the Stavropol State Agrarian University launched a program of additional professional education, which allows for the training of external pilots of agricultural unmanned aerial vehicles. The first batch of pilots was made up of employees of agro-industrial enterprises of Stavropol and Kuban.

Drones have become an indispensable tool for modern farmers. The use of quadrocopters allows you to remotely and in the shortest possible time to monitor the condition of crops, harvesting, as well as to apply fertilizers and plant protection products. Stavropol State Aviation University in 2023 began intensive training of pilots for UAVs — the Center for Unmanned Aviation in the agro-industrial Complex was opened, the master's program «Control systems for unmanned aerial vehicles» was launched and the first set for the professional retraining program was recruited.

The training program was carried out both in simulators and directly in farms. Specialists of agricultural enterprises mastered the control of various aerial photography devices: from small devices weighing 150 grams to heavy UAVs weighing over 30 kg, got acquainted with their technical part and studied the features of flight conditions. During the month, future pilots received skills in preparing for flights and performing aviation chemical work using UAS, as a result of which they passed examination tests in the field.

— Thanks to the BAS Consortium, our university has the opportunity to train operators for UAVs even under flight restrictions. In the near future, graduates will receive certificates of UAV pilots and will be able to use all the capabilities of such equipment at their enterprises,» said Vladimir Sitnikov, Rector of the SSAU.