Kansas State Polytechnic's Applied Aviation Research Center is collaborating with the Salina Liberty, a professional indoor football team in Salina, Kansas, to bring UAS technology to the team’s home games this season.

Through the collaboration, the research center is using a UAS to perform a 35-foot ball drop to the head referee before opening kickoff. The research center is also using UAS to capture aerial footage of the games to livestream on the team's Facebook page.

“We see drones as a way to enhance the in-game experience for the fans, giving them a unique view of the action on the field, so we're excited that Kansas State Polytechnic was so receptive to the idea,” says Ricky Bertz, Salina Liberty CEO and co-owner.

“This could also set a trend among other teams in our league and even within the sports industry, so we're thankful to be pioneering the initiative with one of the best drone programs in the country.”

According to Kansas State Polytechnic, the idea behind using a UAS to release the game ball to the referee was sparked by one of the challenges in the NFL's Pro Bowl Skills Showdown called drone drop. But using UAS during a game to capture live action isn’t something that Kansas State Polytechnic's Applied Aviation Research Center is doing with any regularity.

At this point in time, the FAA does not allow unmanned operations over a large assembly of people outdoors, which is why, along with a no-fly zone, UAS are generally prohibited at sports stadiums. But since the Salina Liberty is an indoor football team, the research center is able to fly “beyond the FAA's rules for the national airspace system.”

With safety being a top priority for these flights, the research center is partially maintaining the FAA's guideline on operations over a crowd, as it has decided only to fly UAS above the field where the players are wearing protective gear and the teams, coaches and referees have knowledge of the activity.

Also, to address the UAS’ lack of GPS indoors, a concept of operations has been developed, and it includes both a remote pilot in command and a visual observer at the games.

Research center staff members and students involved in the project have also conducted several training sessions on campus and in the arena before the beginning of the season.

This attention to detail and careful approach might help Kansas State Polytechnic's Applied Aviation Research Center build a safety case that could be presented to the FAA about expanding its UAS flight operations to large outdoor sporting events, according to Travis Balthazor, flight operations manager of Kansas State Polytechnic's Applied Aviation Research Center.

“The long-term benefit of flying unmanned aircraft at the Salina Liberty games is the opportunities it could create down the road for athletic teams,” Balthazor says.

“When we combine a strong concept of operations with numerous flights near crowds and few to no errors, we have the potential to prove to the FAA that these types of operations also can be performed safely and successfully outside.”