Once Virginia Tech President Tim Sands cut the ceremonial ribbon held aloft by a drone, the Virginia Tech Drone Park was officially open for business. The drone, flown by aerospace and ocean engineering major Alberto Post, did a victory lap around the football-field-sized facility which, at 85-feet high, is the tallest in the U.S. 

The park, intended primarily for student and faculty use,  offers an unfettered environment for research, testing, education, and recreation. 

Outside the park, drone flights in public airspace — including on campus — are governed by strict Federal Aviation Adminstration regulations. Inside the park, all you need is a basic safety briefing, free time on the calendar, and an idea.

To learn how to get started flying in the drone park, see here. For more on flying on campus, see here

The park is operated by the Virginia Tech Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership, a division of the Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Science

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