Uncrewed Aircraft (UA) Standard Operating Procedure

The borrower must have proper authorization from the Office for Research Protections, per University Policy SY45 Use of Unmanned Aircraft. Contact: uas-orp@psu.edu for additional information.

MTSS staff will ask the faculty, staff, or student who submits the request for a loaner drone to send in advance (prior to pick-up) via email confirmation that they have proper authorization to fly. Confirmation may be in the form of a forwarded authorization email that is generated from the Drones RSS System, or a confirmation email from the Unmanned Aircraft Operations Manager and/or staff delegate within the Office for Research Protections.

Non-Penn State personnel (third parties) are not eligible to loan a drone.

The loaner drone may be checked out for a total of 7 business days. No renewals are available.

The Office for Research Protections will be responsible for making sure the pilot meets University requirements and is qualified to fly.