CHENNAI: After opening a branch of its Remote Pilot Training Organisation (RPTO) in Bengaluru, the Anna University is all set to spread its tentacles to Ladakh.
The varsity will soon set up RPTO’s branch in University of Ladakh, Leh campus, to train drone pilots. A team from the university had recently visited Ladakh to participate in a drone expo, conducted by the defence force.
“In the expo, we met the governor and chancellor of university of Ladakh and he asked us to open a branch in the university. In a place like Ladakh, utility of drone is very much needed,” said Senthil Kumar, director of the Centre for Aerospace Research (CASR) under MIT at Anna University.
Both the universities had a detailed discussion on the issue. While University of Ladakh will provide infrastructure like space on the campus, Anna university will take care of trainers and simulators for training drone pilots.
The initiative will boost the revenue of AU, as it will get 10% royalty from the earnings through admissions.
“After getting approval from Directorate General of Civil Aviation, we will start the centre. The whole process will take two months,” said Kumar.
The university opened its RPTO on MIT campus in 2021. Since then, it has trained over 2,000 drone pilots. It is one of the few drone flying training centre which can provide training for small and medium category drones.
Anna University has already opened RPTO branch at a private engineering college in Bengaluru, and it is fully functional.