Bucket List: A Standard Method to Test and Evaluate Drone Pilots

On the first day of Xponential 2021, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) partnered with the DroneResponders Public Safety Alliance to demonstrate its pilot proficiency testing apparatus. Made from a few simple components available globally—such as lumber, bolts and five-gallon buckets—the apparatus allows organizations to establish a benchmark for drone pilot proficiency. Essentially an “obstacle course” for drones, variations on the NIST standards are already employed by certifying bodies such as the AUVSI Trusted Operator Program (TOP) and the Airborne Public Safety Association (APSA) Basic Proficiency Evaluation for Remote Pilots (BPERP). The event was held at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, home to the Atlanta Falcons, and gave attendees the opportunity to become familiar with the standards. By employing standardized tests, it is possible to compare the performance of drone pilots…