UNIT.City — місце, де люди працюють... КРАЩЕ! Обирай свій простір просто зараз 👉
Вікторія ГорбікWar
24 April 2025, 09:00
2025-04-24
"You can sit around all day doing nothing." How flight bans affect private drone schools and can it really partially halt learning
The other day, Igor Lutsenko, a serviceman of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and co-founder of the Center for Aerial Intelligence Support, stated in his post that large training centers in a number of regions of Ukraine may face a large number of flight bans from the command of the Air Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine within a week. And because of this, according to him, the training of UAV operators in Ukraine has been partially suspended.
dev.ua found out from Ukrainian private drone schools whether the ban on flights affected them, what problems this poses for the institutions themselves and for the training of cadets, and whether there is a recipe that can solve this issue.
The other day, Igor Lutsenko, a serviceman of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and co-founder of the Center for Aerial Intelligence Support, stated in his post that large training centers in a number of regions of Ukraine may face a large number of flight bans from the command of the Air Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine within a week. And because of this, according to him, the training of UAV operators in Ukraine has been partially suspended.
dev.ua found out from Ukrainian private drone schools whether the ban on flights affected them, what problems this poses for the institutions themselves and for the training of cadets, and whether there is a recipe that can solve this issue.
About context
Since February 24, 2022, Ukrainian airspace has been closed to civilian airspace users, including unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
Measures to close Ukrainian airspace to civilian airspace users with the start of a full-scale invasion are regulated by:
Despite the fact that the state is creating its own training centers within the Land Forces and National Guard to train drone operators, private drone schools that also train military personnel are indispensable. This is confirmed by Yuriy Dombrovsky, executive director of the Ukrainian Association of Drone Operators (UAOBA). «Training drone operators is a continuous process, and it has been and will continue, at least as long as the war is going on,» he emphasizes, noting that the schools do not have financial support from the state or centralized orders for training drone operators.
The head of the association, along with other school representatives, notes that flight bans exist and may be perceived by some as oppression by the state, but Yuriy Dombrovsky considers them a necessary tool for protecting our skies and controlling the use of airspace.
The reason, as Yuriy Dombrovsky explains, is simple: if there is an enemy drone in the air, then of course there is a flight ban for training centers, because the priority task is to identify its exact coordinates and destroy it. And for this, there should be no other objects in the air that could distract the attention of our electronic warfare/electronic warfare and air defense systems.
Accordingly, he adds that the closer to strategic objects and/or the closer the location is to the combat demarcation line, for obvious reasons, such ''flight bans'' appear more often. «We are talking about life and safety, which is the highest priority,» the head of the UAOBA states.
However, he explains that in general, if we talk about the capital and its surroundings, the system of permits for training flights and their control is already well-established.
However, other school representatives note that the problem of banning flights during professional training of UAV operators is extremely acute for institutions. This is confirmed by Tetyana «Ruda», head of the R&D department of the ACADEMY «DRONARIUM» .
«If neither the SBS nor the Ministry of Defense can influence the air alert — and the safety of people during exercises is certainly a priority — then most other reasons for bans can be regulated by clear, simple, and regulated rules. Unfortunately, there are still no such rules,» she emphasizes.
At the same time , the founder and head of the «Blue Sky» quadcopter pilot school, Andriy Lyudchyn, sees difficulties for schools during flight bans using the example of his own institution.
«They impose bans even when they don’t need to,» he says, suggesting that it’s possible to work more calmly with air defense systems this way, but adding that «it’s always been like this.»
In the practice of the Blue Sky school, its founder says that in such conditions it is very difficult to take people out of the city and wait several hours for permission to take off. «You can sit around all day in vain,» he adds.
In addition, among other difficulties faced by Andriy Lyudchyn, he mentions the residents of the villages adjacent to the test sites, whom he calls «small town heroes.» According to the school founder, they «storm» the police, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), and other institutions and complain that «something is buzzing somewhere,» even though the school has all the permits and is a couple of kilometers away from the flight site.
«And what harm can that drone do at a height of 5 or 10 meters, especially since air traffic control knows that training is taking place in this square,» the founder of «Blue Sky» asks.
The founders of the Sky Spies UA UAV Operator Training and Retraining Center also emphasize the significant impact that the flight bans have on the institution. According to them, at first they were very annoyed and angry about such a broken rhythm of work because of this, but later they realized that in a way it was right.
«Why would we risk large aircraft and the pilot’s life?» asks the founder of the Center.
He explains that a drone, even descending to a low altitude, can «untie» itself from the remote control, rise a thousand or more meters up and simply accidentally damage the side of an aircraft that is currently performing maneuvers. In addition, according to him, the flight process is also affected by communications, navigation systems and many other factors. In addition, as the founder of the center recalls, there are completely incomprehensible situations when permission is given, and after 10 minutes the ban passes, then the suspension and again after 5 minutes the ban passes. Sometimes permission to fly may not be given for incomprehensible reasons.
Summing up the current situation for private UAV operator training centers, one of the drone school representatives, who wished to remain anonymous, emphasized that the bans greatly affect the organization of the process in institutions. Those who plan flights at a considerable distance from the capital have fewer bans than in Kyiv, but they can occur many times a day.
«The more bans, the less raids. It’s especially bad when a politician comes to town and there’s a ban for the whole day. Fortunately, this happens once every couple of months,» he adds.
Co-founder of the Aerial Intelligence Support Center: «Training of UAV operators has been partially suspended in Ukraine»
What is happening with the learning process?
The main problem with the flight bans, which Ihor Lutsenko raised in his post, was that cadets who are learning to use drones are unable to practice and «cannot master the equipment properly.» Accordingly, according to him, operators are unable to fully train within the time limits set by the course and end up at the front untrained.
And Tetyana «Ruda» from «DRONARIUM» agrees with this. She says that during training courses, military personnel often do not have time to fly a sufficient number of practical hours due to restrictions related to aviation flights, the work of electronic warfare units, or due to incomprehensible «decisions» without clearly stated reasons.
«Of course, this negatively affects the training process. The training lasts two weeks, the time that is prohibited for flights, we fill with lectures, or give an engineer, if it is FPV, or read the theory, but the cadets do not have enough flight time,» notes Viktor Taran, head of the KRUK UAV Operators Center. He explains that military personnel are sent to training on a business trip from the unit for a limited period and only the unit can extend it. In fact, this will be a new business trip, for which the serviceman must go on his own.
«This cannot be resolved by phone or new mail,» adds Viktor Taran.
In addition, as Andriy Lyudchyn from «Blue Sky» recalls, cadets react very critically to delays due to flight bans, because many have time constraints. «Many react badly to the fact that bureaucracy with bans eats up the entire educational process,» he adds.
However, drone schools continue to train operators and are trying to find a way out of the situation. In particular, as one of the representatives of the institutions says, schools are setting up bases near the training grounds in order not to lose time during the flight ban and to burden cadets with studying theory and planning missions.
We also learned to adjust the training process at the Sky Spies UA Center. As the founder of the Center gives an example, if their UAVs fly at a high altitude of up to 2-3 km and there is a ban, the operators have 5-10 minutes to land the drone. In this case, they either have time to return the UAV, or land it immediately in a safe place and then take it away by car. And after that, they decide how to further adjust the training process, in particular, they can load the cadets with theoretical or practical classes, for example, on exit planning, folding and unfolding antennas. Accordingly, the center’s cadets will sometimes work after the ban is lifted.
As the founder of Sky Spies UA says, this is how it works for them: for example, if classes at the training ground are supposed to last from 10 to 4, but during the process there is a 2-hour flight ban, then the instructors work with the cadets after it is lifted, that is, until 6 or more. They discuss the schedule and workload together.
«In my opinion, the training process depends on the instructors and the school director, how he decides what to do with his students during the flight pause, because the ban can last from several minutes to several hours,» adds the founder of Sky Spies UA. And he notes that he does not let his cadets go untrained. Although he emphasizes that working with civilians in this case is easier, because they can be transferred to the next day.
Yuriy Dombrovsky summarizes that flight bans are currently an objective factor that we simply have to accept, so schools are adapting to this factor and working flexibly.
«I don’t think this factor is key in determining the quality of operator training. No, this factor only complicates the process, and if there are flight bans, the practice is extended for additional days so that in the end the cadets have the opportunity to get enough flight practice,» the head of the UAOBA emphasizes.
Global Drone Academy: How a volunteer project became a market leader and trained over 6,300 UAV operators
How is the problem solved?
Unfortunately, all the schools surveyed now agree that there is no centralized solution to this problem. And each institution has to figure it out on its own. Here is what representatives of various drone schools see as the solution.
Yuriy Dombrovsky, Executive Director of the Ukrainian Association of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Operators (UAOVA)
Based on the basic principles of radio electronics, onboard drone systems, and EPR/EW algorithms, I do not see any alternative to the existing model today. Yes, this can be partially solved by organizing training in closed pavilions or hangars. But such a solution is only suitable for FPV drones and only for developing basic skills. However, one way or another, to become a master operator, you need to fly at higher altitudes, over serious distances, and in wind or even precipitation conditions. So, flights at open airfields are still needed. And then we return to the factor of «no-flying» and work adaptively.
Many UAV manufacturers and training centers have simply moved their bases geographically to locations that are, let’s say, less strategically important than large cities or our capital. There are fewer air alerts there, fewer risks, fewer flight bans. It’s a matter of logistics and resources. But if you want to work in Kyiv, so that potential civilian cadets can easily get to the training center, then, obviously, you will have to adapt to the general air security system in Kyiv and the suburbs. There’s nothing you can do.
In order to systematically resolve issues of permits for training flights and further develop the field of training for drone operators, we have created a professional association — the Ukrainian Association of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Operators. UAUVO. This platform helps everyone who wants to become an operator or is already one to get the opportunity to carry out training flights in the suburbs of Kyiv.
Tetyana «Ruda», Head of the R&D Department of the «DRONARIUM» ACADEMY.
This situation can be resolved by establishing clear rules: regulating the altitude and radius of flights, introducing local permits within the training grounds, with an awareness of the importance of training operators, because we are fighting a drone war. It is often very difficult to pull fighters from the front for training, and every minute we have is worth its weight in gold. It must be used as effectively as possible to transfer knowledge and skills.
In addition, some types of UAVs can perform training flights in indoor spaces — hangars, parking lots, etc. It would be advisable for the state to begin systematically supporting training centers, in particular in creating such infrastructure solutions.
The introduction of airspace zoning, flight altitude regulation, and constructive interaction between training centers and the Unmanned Systems Service can solve the problem of the shortage of training hours. But this should become a matter of state policy, not a simplistic approach with permanent bans.
Viktor Taran, Head of the KRUK UAV Operators Center
We have visited and discussed many times with representatives of the school association and representatives of the General Staff about what can be done in this direction. At least for those schools that have passed verification and received permission from the Main Directorate of State Aviation of Ukraine (MO), to create a simplified system for issuing flight permits, at least so that they are allowed to fly in a 30-kilometer zone near Kyiv.
A representative of one of the drone schools, who wished to remain anonymous
The solution could be to divide the territory into small sectors, so that you can chop not a large piece, but a small one. In some cases, the plane flies high and you can let the UAV work up to a certain height. It would be convenient to finally have software, and not to decide everything on the phone. So that it would be clear that your sector will soon be banned, for example, or how long the ban will last. Some teams have several sites in different locations — you could move around.
Private drone schools are on the verge. There is not enough funding to train the military. Here’s what’s happening and whether certification will help solve the difficulties. Analysis
