Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) – drones – are rapidly growing in popularity. Interest in drones is on the rise in Lithuania as well. Their application areas and capabilities increase, and their use expands faster than ever. Drones are used for agriculture, geodesy, security, search and rescue missions, construction, 3D scanning and virtual reality, filming and photography just to mention a few. Nowadays, drones are tested for package delivery or even human transportation. As Dr. Justinas Nugaras, the Dean of Antanas Gustaitis Aviation Institute (AGAI) and one of the festival organisers says, the festival will explore similar projects and their prospects in Lithuania and the whole world. He highlighted that everyone is welcome at the festival.
“Everyone will find activities that suit them: pupils who just start their journey in aviation; future students who want to become drone specialists; business representatives who are entering the new market of UAVs; researchers and scientists who want to test new possibilities of this rapidly developing technology. We did not want to limit ourselves in terms of participants. We invite everyone to the airfield to enjoy a racing drone speeding up to 140 km/h,” said J. Nugaras.
One of the festival’s organizers Domantas Kancleris, expert in filming with drones, notes that the number of UAVs is increasing in Lithuania, but not many drone pilots understand that it is not just a flying camera and have the necessary knowledge and education. “UAV is an airspace participant and its pilot should take the responsibility seriously. One of the aims of the festival is to remind it to everyone – both to enthusiasts and professionals. Also we will present the latest drone developments and their possibilities, various uses of drones, and projects done by Lithuanian pilots,” – shared D. Kancleris.
The organisers of the festival say that everyone will find activities for themselves: drone professionals can participate in speed and accuracy challenges, visit lectures and discussions, newcomers will have an opportunity to try drone flying, and experienced pilots will have an opportunity to gain UAV licence and pass the drone technical inspection.
Another important aspect is that during the festival future students will have an opportunity learn about the new specialisation in VGTU AGAI Avionics bachelor programme – Engineering of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. This specialisation will provide knowledge in aeronautics, mechatronics, electronics, robotics, IT and will develop skills in drone aerodynamics. Programme graduates will have the necessary knowledge and skills to prepare a drone for a specific task, will be able to create new drones, carry out drone maintenance, and adapt them for business use, like parcel delivery, inspection of buildings and infrastructure, diagnosis of defects etc. Programme graduates will also be ready to look for and experiment with new areas of application of this technology that will be very important in the near future. Lithuania is an attractive country for self-driving cars. We think that UAVs is the next step for progress,” stressed J. Nugaras, the Dean of AGAI.
The event venue is also worth the attention. Kyviškės Airfield is a unique location. It was opened more than 70 years ago. Event participants will be able to see exposition of aircrafts in the airfield.
The event is on 26 May, open between 10:00 and 15:00, at VGTU Flight Training Unit (Kyviškės Airfield), Lakūnų str. 1, Kyviškių village, Šatrininkai Vilnius district municipality.
