The Extra Mile: Drone Club
At 8 years old, Charles Mal茅 鈥25 had his eyes set on flight. 鈥淚鈥檝e always loved drones, helicopters, and anything that moves,鈥 he said.
He spent years playing with toy cars as a child but eventually got bored with them. Moving onto toy helicopters, he finally landed on his true passion: drones.聽
Mal茅, assistant cadet in charge of the VMI Drone Club, is a computer science major with a minor in cybersecurity, from Arlington, Virginia. Mal茅 came to VMI with an associate鈥檚 degree in computer science and he plans to graduate early in 2024.
鈥淚鈥檝e done a lot of work with drones over the years,鈥 he said. 鈥淏ut they were quite expensive.鈥 The cost of flying drones and professional gear can reach upwards of $1,000. Due to the expense of drones, Mal茅 decided to take a break from his hobby.
Luckily for Mal茅 and other cadets at 麻豆女演员 Institute, Dr. Sherif Abdelhamid had other plans for the Drone Club at VMI.
Abdelhamid, assistant professor in the聽Department of Computer and Information Sciences, received a grant from the Commonwealth Cyber Initiative. Abdelhamid leads VMI鈥檚 Drone Club and has a fellowship from CCI that he uses to sponsor research and cadet development.聽聽聽
More importantly, he has used the grant to sponsor all the Drone Club’s activities. 鈥淯sing the grant, we have bought around ten drones of different types, sizes, and purposes, as well as other IoT devices and sensors,鈥 he said.
While attending a cybersecurity event, Abdelhamid became interested in drones and the role that they play in surveillance and protection. 鈥淭he drones are no longer just flying toys,鈥 he said. When asked if he would support the Drone Club, Abdelhamid thought it would be a great way to apply his personal and research interests to a cadet involvement opportunity.
Last year, Mal茅 was approached by Abdelhamid. 鈥淗e knew I was into drones鈥 we were talking about it in class one day,鈥 Mal茅 said. 鈥淗e was like, 鈥極h you seem to be into drones.鈥欌
Mal茅 had no idea that a Drone Club even existed at VMI. With little hesitancy, Mal茅 joined forces with Abdelhamid and the two cadets聽鈥搃n聽charge,聽Kolby Quigg 鈥24 and Stone Summers 鈥24, to reignite the club.聽聽聽
The club has a membership total of three to five cadets. Most members of the club are computer science majors. This common trait presents difficulties when cadets have overlapping group study sessions and cannot make it to the club meeting time.
To accommodate the club鈥檚 demographic, and attract cadets from other departments, the club rearranged its schedule to host meetings on Mondays. 鈥淲e鈥檝e noticed a bigger turnout since then,鈥 Mal茅 said. 鈥淣ext semester, we鈥檙e expecting to see at least five people consistently.鈥
Simulating flight
Since the Drone Club had previously existed, the first step for the group was inventory 鈥 鈥淲e went on a treasure hunt for leftover drone parts,鈥 said Mal茅.
鈥淲e had to see what kind of drones were left behind and we found this really old brand called 3DR Solo,鈥 said Mal茅. The club spent its first semester trying to update the software and firmware on these old-school drones.
The software updates did not make a major difference, and the club moved on to purchasing DJI Phantom 3鈥檚. Through this time, the club realized they were using a lot of large drones and ones that many cadets may be unfamiliar with. When the club came to this realization, Mal茅 had an idea that would transform the club.
鈥淚 introduced the idea of having people come in [to the club] and use my drone simulator,鈥 he said. The Drone Club meets later in the day, around 8 p.m., and has had issues with flying at night.
鈥淪o, we switched to simulators for the meantime, while we figured out the big drone situation,鈥 said Mal茅.
In addition to the drone simulator, the club has recently tapped into educational drones. Mal茅 explained that the club is using educational software through a program known as 鈥淒roneBlocks.鈥 The software uses visual programming concepts to help students learn to program drones, irrespective of their programming experience level.
鈥淲e鈥檝e been relying on their [educational] drones as a big resource for the first semester, as well as second semester,鈥 said Mal茅.聽
When looking to buy a drone, there are many classes to consider. Mal茅 shared that there are educational-sized drones, racing-sized drones, indoor drones, and outdoor drones.
Drone credentials and certifications
To be considered 鈥渟treet-legal,鈥 it is required to register drones that are over one pound. To register a drone and legally fly it, an individual must obtain a license from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). In addition to licenses and registrations, cadets in the drone club must work with post-police to make sure that they are following all airspace guidelines.
This summer, the club hopes to increase its membership and will do so by sponsoring cadets to obtain their FAA licenses.
鈥淲e鈥檙e going to sponsor cadets and faculty to apply for the FAA certificate,鈥 said Abdelhamid. The club sent an email to all cadets informing them about this opportunity and has since received six applications.
鈥淲e are planning to sponsor up to 10 cadets,鈥 he said. Abdelhamid plans to use his grant to cover the test fees, study materials, and travel expenses for all interested cadets and faculty members.聽聽
Aside from certification, the club has hopes of attending a drone competition soon. Next fall, the club plans to attend a gated drone competition, with teams competing from several different departments on post.
Before then, the club received an invitation to participate in community cyber day May 13 in Natural Bridge.
鈥淥n this day, we plan to showcase the work we are doing, the activities, and the drones we have,鈥 said Abdelhamid.
