Uncrewed Aircraft Systems / Drone Safety Program
Contact Us: drones@andrew.cmu.edu
Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS), including aircraft commonly known as drones, are used at Carnegie Mellon University in a variety of ways related to academics, research, business and recreation. All members of the Carnegie Mellon community and guests on university property are expected to comply with all applicable federal, state, and local laws regarding the operation of UAS. In particular, all outdoor UAS operations must comply with Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations. Indoor UAS operation is not regulated by the FAA.
Log into the UAS portal to:
Registration (link to the UAS Registration form): The UAS / Drone CMU registration form is intended for registering the UAS / Drone purchased with CMU funding which is then owned by the university. This registration process ensures the CMU owned UAS / Drone is registered through the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) under the CMU UAS / Drone account. The UAS / Drone owner should complete the registration process.
For step-by-step guidance on completing the form reference the Registration Form User Guide
Indoor Flight Space (link to the Indoor Flight Space form): Current space owners of indoor flight spaces or those seeking to establish an indoor flight space shall complete a New Indoor Flight Space request to identify the location, space contacts and the timeline for use. This information will be reviewed for approval by the Uncrewed Aircraft System (UAS) Committee. Upon approval Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) will track the space and affiliated details, will perform the initial inspection to ensure minimum requirements are met, and an annual inspection thereafter to ensure requirements are maintained.
For step-by-step guidance on completing the form reference the Indoor Flight Space Request Form User Guide
Flight Operations (link to the Flight Operations form): Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) will verify the UAS / Drone registration, Pilot training, insurance coverage, and applicable contracts. The flight operations request will be routed to the space owners and the committee for comments and
feedback.
For step-by-step guidance on completing the form reference the Request Approval for Flight Operations User Guide
Complete the Post-Flight Operations Survey
After completing your approved flight operations, you will be prompted to complete the Post-Flight Operations Survey. This survey is intended to help Environmental Health and Safety track details regarding the completed UAS/Drone flights.
For step-by-step guidance on completing the survey reference the Post-Flight Operations Survey User Guide.