Fifth Of Six Sites To Go Online

The FAA says the Griffiss International Airport unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) test site in Rome, NY is ready to conduct research vital to integrating UAS into the national airspace system (NAS). The site is the fifth of six test sites to become operational.

In addition to providing invaluable information for the integration of UAS into the NAS, the research at the Griffiss test site will evaluate methods for scouting agricultural fields using different types of sensors, including visual, thermal and multispectral equipment, which will benefit farmers regionally and nationally. The research will enhance current methods of monitoring crops and provide additional information for continuing field research efforts.

“We are accomplishing two important missions with the launch of this test site,” said Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. “The safe integration of unmanned aircraft into the NAS is our number one priority, but the agricultural research performed in Rome also may have far-reaching benefits to farmers in New York and across the nation.”

The FAA granted the Griffiss International Airport team a two-year Certificate of Waiver or Authorization (COA) to use a PrecisionHawk Lancaster Platform UAS. The Lancaster Platform weighs approximately three pounds and has a wingspan of four feet.

The site’s specific UAS projects include detection of insects, weeds, diseases, crop characteristics, crop biomass and background soil characteristics in two farm fields. Flights will take place at or below 400 feet, and will last up to 60 minutes from takeoff to landing. They will be repeated as needed to take geospatially-referenced imagery as part of the agricultural research. Eventually, the site also will manage unmanned agricultural research flights from Joint Base Cape Cod in Massachusetts.

The Griffiss team also plans to work on developing test and evaluation processes under FAA safety oversight, and conduct research on sense and avoid capabilities to prevent collisions with other manned and unmanned aircraft.

“The data the Griffiss team plans to acquire and share will help the FAA in researching the complexities of integrating UAS into the congested Northeast airspace,” said FAA Administrator Michael Huerta.

The FAA was directed by Congress to select six UAS test sites and the site in Rome, New York, is the fifth site that has begun operations.  The agency is working with the test sites to guide their research programs to help the FAA safely integrate UAS into the NAS over the next several years and to perform other practical research made possible by the use of UAS.

(Image from PrecisionHawk YouTube video)

FMI: www.faa.gov/uas