The Oswego County Airport on county Route 176 in Volney hosts the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)’s Drone Safety Day from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, April 29.  

“Fly RIGHT – it’s the safe way to fly” is the message for this event, the first held in Oswego County. The annual campaign by the FAA is designed to help the drone community understand the importance of flying safely.

“Drone Safety Day highlights the societal and economic benefits of safe drone operations,” said Oswego County Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Coordinator John McGraw. “This is a great opportunity for people to learn how drones are used by organizations in the county and how they can fly their own drones safely.”

The event will include flight demonstrations and simulations as well as live-streaming demonstrations. The Oswego County E-911 Communications Center will also have its new communications trailer on display.

Educational information will be available for recreational UAS pilots to help them understand the rules and regulations to become a recreational UAS pilot.

Participating organizations include the UAS program under Oswego County Emergency Management Office, Oswego County Airport, Oswego County Sheriff’s Department, Oswego County Pioneer Land Search and Rescue Team, US Border Patrol, City of Oswego Police and Fire departments, City of Fulton Police and Fire departments, Novelis and NuAir.

The FAA’s focus areas for this event include:

• Education: fostering greater public understanding about the uses of drones and highlighting how drones are being used in education.
• Economics: highlighting the economic, societal, and safety benefits of using drone technologies (i.e., utilizing drones to inspect infrastructure such as power lines, bridges, or towers)
• Equity: promoting the democratization of aviation and increasing the accessibility of aviation through drones.
• Environment: promoting the democratization of aviation and increasing the accessibility of aviation through drones.
• Emergencies: highlighting how drones are utilized in emergency situations such as: natural disasters, search & rescue, firefighting, public safety, and other uses.

For more information about safe drone operations, call Oswego County UAS Coordinator John McGraw at 315-532-8900 or john.mcgraw@oswegocounty.com.

“FLY RIGHT – IT’S THE SAFE WAY TO FLY” – Come out to the Oswego County Airport on county Route 176 in Volney for the FAA’s Drone Safety Day on Saturday, April 29. Drone demonstrations and safety information will be available from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Pictured is Oswego County UAS Coordinator John McGraw operates a DJI Matrice 300RTK drone outside the Oswego County Public Safety Center in Oswego during the E-911 Communications Center’s open house earlier this year.