Introduction & Safety Briefing
Objectives:
• Understand course goals, expectations, and safety protocols
• Review aircraft safety checks, indoor/outdoor restrictions, and tactical flight
considerations
Topics:
• Drone Recon role and mission scope
• Risk assessment & crew resource management
• Radio communications & call-outs
• Safety zones, bystander control, fail-safe planning
Tactical Drone Recon Fundamentals
Objectives:
• Learn principles of threat detection, target identification, and safe standoff distances
• Understand use cases in barricaded suspect operations and large-scale incidents
-
Topics:
• Reconnaissance vs. overwatch vs. interior search
• Strengths and limitations of aerial reconnaissance
• Thermal, IR, zoom optics, and night operations considerations
• Understanding fields of fire, blind spots, and approach vectors
Tools, Payloads & Platform Capabilities
Objectives:
-
• Identify the best aircraft, sensors, and accessories for tactical reconnaissance
• Learn how settings and payloads impact operational success
Topics:
• Sensor selection: thermal, wide-angle, zoom, low-light
• Using mapping tools for pre-incident planning
• UAS accessories: lighting, prop guards, amplifiers, antennas
• Battery management in extended operations
• Data capture & retention requirements for public safety
Flight Maneuvers for Recon
Objectives:
• Learn precision flight techniques to scan structures, vehicles, windows, and rooftops,
doors, and terrain
Skills Taught:
• Slow-creep approach techniques
• Parallel wall scans & hover-peek maneuvers
• Window clearing method
• Perimeter flight patterns
• Vehicle threat inspection tactics
• Thermal search patterns (grid, sweep, hotspot verification)
Demo:
• Instructor-led mission scan around a mock structure
Hazard Identification & Threat Recognition
Objectives:
• Train pilots to identify suspicious activity, weapons signatures, environmental
hazards, and movement cue
Topics:
• Indicators of armed suspects
• Visual & thermal signatures of hidden persons
• Hazards: structural damage, chemical threats, fire behavior, secondary devices
• Vehicle-borne threats
• Environmental hazards: terrain traps, overhead obstructions, power lines
Exercise:
• Image interpretation & real video case review
Decision Making & Action Steps
Objectives:
• Learn what to do after a threat or hazard is detected
• Understand communication chains and team coordination
Topics:
• Reporting protocols & actionable intel formatting
• When to hold vs. advance reconnaissance
• Tactical priorities for SRT/SWAT support
• Using aerial views to guide ground units
• Evidence preservation considerations
| Details |
|---|
| Date(s) |
Mon. Mar 16, 2026 09:00 - 17:00
|
| Location |
MIdland Fire Department Station # 1
12805 US 601, Midland NC 28107
Google Map
|
| Building/Room |
12805 US 601 - Midland - 28107 |
| Handicap Accessibility |
Yes
|
| WiFi Access |
Yes
|
| Offered By |
Rowan-Cabarrus Community College |
| Primary Instructor |
TBD, To Be Determined |
| Course Length |
1 |
| Course Hours |
8.00 |
| CEUs |
|
| Cost to Student |
$100.00
|
| Award Credentials |
|
| Prerequisites |
|
| Equivalent Prerequisites |
|
| Maximum Participants |
20 |
| # Open Seats |
20 |
| # on Wait List |
0 |
