Eastern Wyoming College hosted the EWC Drone Cup Challenge on Dec. 2 in the Agricultural Technology Education Center (ATEC) located on the north campus in Torrington, Wyoming.

Event organizers Tim Slater of the University of Wyoming, Rick Sanchez from Clear Creek Middle School in Buffalo, Wyoming, and Matt Scott from Eastern Wyoming College in Torrington, Wyoming were excited to bring an event of this type to the area.

“It is an awesome opportunity for the youth in the area have a chance to see and use this technology hands on,” Scott said.

The event was open to all K-12 students as well as college level students.

“We had 19 students from Torrington, Pine Bluffs, Cheyenne, Glendo, LaGrange, Veteran, Wyoming, and Morrill, Nebraska,” Scott added. “At the college level, there were two students from EWC competing.”

The students were given a lesson in drone laws and took a test, which earned them a TRUST certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration. This certificate shows that they were made aware of the rules and regulations for recreational UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) pilots. The rules include: not flying over 400 ft. above the ground, not flying over people, not flying into clouds, keeping the speed under 100 miles per hour, not to be reckless, keeping it in sight at all times, as well as other rules to keep themselves and everyone around them safe.

After they earned their TRUST certificates, they were taught how the controls of the drones worked and allowed to practice flying in the foyer of the ATEC building.

A special thank you to the prize sponsors the Broncho Grill, Heartland Embroidery, Pinnacle Bank, and Torrington Office Products for donating prizes to the event. Their contributions help make local events special for our youth, Scott said.