FAA: Nevada UAS test site operational, will help examine UAS integration with air traffic control procedures
WASHINGTON, 11 June 2014. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) officials announced that the State of Nevada’s unmanned aircraft systems test site is ready to conduct research vital to integrating UAS into the nation’s airspace.
The FAA granted the State of Nevada team a two-year Certificate of Waiver or Authorization (COA) to use an Insitu ScanEagle at the Desert Rock Airport located in Mercury, Nev. Desert Rock Airport, owned and operated by the U.S. Department of Energy, is a private airport and not for general use. The ScanEagle from Insitu, a Boeing company in Bingen, Wash., will fly at or below 3,000 feet, monitored by a visual observer and mission commander. Initial flights will verify that a UAS can operate safely at the airport.
“The UAS test sites will help us identify operational goals as well as safety issues we must consider when expanding the use of unmanned aircraft into our airspace,” said FAA Administrator Michael Huerta. “This industry is growing exponentially, and we are working hard to make sure it does so safely.”
Nevada’s research will concentrate on UAS standards and operations as well as operator standards and certification requirements. The site’s activities will also include a look at how air traffic control procedures will evolve with the introduction of UAS into the civil environment and how these aircraft will integrate with NextGen, the modernized national airspace management system.
“Nevada has been on the leading edge of aerospace flight testing for almost 70 years. Today, the state continues that tradition by contributing to the safe and efficient integration of unmanned aircraft into the U.S. aviation system,” says U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. “
Nevada is the third of six congressionally mandated test sites to become operational.
The FAA selected six congressionally-mandated test sites on December 30, 2013. The agency is working with the test sites to guide their research programs to help the FAA safely integrate UAS into the national airspace over the next several years.
Courtney E. Howard | Chief Editor, Intelligent Aerospace
Courtney enjoys writing about all things high-tech in PennWell’s burgeoning Aerospace and Defense Group, which encompasses Intelligent Aerospace and Military & Aerospace Electronics. She’s also a self-proclaimed social-media maven, mil-aero nerd, and avid avionics and space geek. Connect with Courtney at [email protected], @coho on Twitter, on LinkedIn, and on Google+.
