TRACES and HKU UAS Team Launch "Future Flyers: A Hands-On SUA Adventure" Workshop to Inspire Next-Gen Drone Pilots

TRACES and the HKU UAS Team, with support from the Innovation Academy, Faculty of Engineering, HKU, successfully hosted the pilot session of "Future Flyers: A Hands-On SUA Adventure". This immersive drone workshop that brought Hong Kong’s Low-altitude Economy (LAE) vision to life for local undergraduate students at Innovation Wing One, HKU. Participants gained practical drone operation skills while exploring the technology's transformative potential in logistics, emergency services, and smart city development.

Students delved into Hong Kong's SUA legislation, including flight restrictions under Cap. 448G, and practiced essential pre-flight safety checks to ensure compliant operations.

Interactive sessions covered multirotor flight controls, the four forces of flight, and aerodynamics principles, giving participants a solid theoretical foundation for their practical sessions.

Using DJI Neo drones, attendees developed real-world piloting skills through guided exercises, building confidence in drone handling and control.

The workshop culminated in an exciting competition where participants applied their newly acquired VLOS (Visual Line of Sight) techniques to navigate a custom-designed obstacle course.

"Seeing students transition from theory to confident drone operation in just hours was incredible," said King Chan, lead instructor of the workshop.

One enthusiastic participant shared: "I never knew drones had applications beyond photography—today's session opened my eyes to exciting career possibilities in this field!"

Following positive feedback from attendees, TRACES and HKU UAS Team plan to expand the Future Flyers workshop series to high school and undergraduate students. Educators and organizations interested in collaboration opportunities are invited to contact TRACES for more information.

What is TRACES?

TRACES is an education initiative that fosters innovation through annual undergraduate academic conferences, publications, and workshops on cutting-edge topics including AI, drone technology, and research. Follow TRACES on social media for updates on future events.