Policy
Policy
Meet the IPP Sites: KDOT focusing on infrastructure inspections, precision ag for UAS pilot program
More than 70 percent of the world's general aviation fleet is manufactured in Kansas, so needless to say, aviation is the state’s primary industry.
With unmanned aircraft being the newest edition to the aviation industry, Kansas has a strong interest in making sure this technology is integrated safely into the airspace. The state is an ideal location for this technology to be tested during the UAS Integration Pilot Program over the next few years, especially considering Kansas is home to 140,000 miles of public roads — many in rural areas — and the Kansas Department of Transportation maintains 10,000 miles of highway and over 5,000 bridges.
Meet the IPP Sites: Reno, Flirtey hope to make medical device delivery more efficient
When sudden cardiac arrests happen, minutes count. There are almost 420,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in the United States each year, according to the American Heart Association, and most of them are fatal.
Delivering CPR and using an automated external defibrillator (AED) as soon as possible after an attack starts can more than double a victim’s chance of survival, the AHA says; in fact, a victim’s chances of survival decreases by 7 to 10 percent for each minute that passes without defibrillation.
Meet the IPP Sites: North Carolina Department of Transportation and partners using UAS to deliver medical supplies in North Carolina
During AUVSI’s Xponential conference and exhibition in Denver, the North Carolina Department of Transportation was informed that it had been selected as one of the 10 participants for the FAA’s UAS Integration Pilot Program (IPP).
The main focus of NCDOT’s proposal for the UAS IPP is working with global drone delivery companies to establish a network of medical distribution centers that can use drones to make medical deliveries, says Basil Yap, the head of NCDOT’s UAS program and lead on the IPP work.
Currently, couriers are the primary form of transport of blood and other supplies to hospitals and testing facilities, but NCDOT believes that UAS could get these supplies and test results to medical providers much faster.
Tennessee's Rutherford County to use Vantage Robotics' Snap UAS for commercial ops over people
Rutherford County, Tennessee has received an FAA waiver to conduct commercial UAS operations over people, becoming the first and only county government in the U.S. with this capability.
The county will utilize Vantage Robotics’ Snap UAS for these operations in both emergency and non-emergency situations.
“We’re excited at Vantage, both to be continuing to pave new ground for safe and legal UAV use near people as well to see Snap contributing to public safety,” Vantage says.
This landmark FAA waiver comes a little over a year after the FAA granted CNN a “first-of-its-kind Part 107 waiver” that allows the media organization to fly a small UAS over people. Like Rutherford County, CNN also utilized the Snap UAS.
Army's Mason working to fulfill PEO Aviation's strategic plan
Patrick H. Mason, a member of the Senior Executive Service, and the relatively new deputy program executive officer for the U.S. Army’s PEO Aviation, has a challenging duty — helping bring the Army PEO Aviation’s 2018 Strategic Plan to life, which includes delivering capabilities to warfighters faster, streamlining the acquisition process and building a better workforce.
Mason assumed the Huntsville, Alabama-based role in May 2017. He was the commander of the Redstone Technical Test Center and most recently as the chief of staff for the Aviation Development Directorate of the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Research, Development and Engineering Center.
Meet the IPP sites: Choctaw Nation to use partners, diverse landscape to push for UAS integration
When Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao announced the winners of the DOT’s UAS Integration Pilot Program in May, the first team announced was the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma.
That effort involves a technology-minded Native American tribe, a multi-billion business incubator, a demonstration farm and a 45,000-acre ranch, as well as nearly a dozen partners interested in pushing the envelope for drone flights at night, package delivery and flights over people.
James Grimsley, founder of DII LLC, a family of technology companies (and a former AUVSI Member of the Year), says the Choctaw Nation contacted him about two years ago to discuss a strategy of getting into aviation, which is a strong point for Oklahoma.
Meet the IPP Sites: Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership to spearhead Virginia's work for IPP project
A White House and FAA initiative, the UAS Integration Pilot Program involves 10 locations that will use unmanned aircraft in a wide variety of ways. AUVSI is writing a series of profiles on the locations.
Anderson named to manage Army UAS Project Office
Col. Joseph "Scott" Anderson has been named to manage the Program Executive Office for U.S.
AUVSI Statement on Senate Passage of FAA Reauthorization Bill
For Immediate Release: October 3, 2018
Contact: Tom McMahon, tmcmahon@auvsi.org, (571) 255-7786
AUVSI Statement on Senate Passage of FAA Reauthorization Bill
Multi-year authorization will grant long-term stability for the entire U.S. aviation system
