New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has announced the completion of New York’s 50-mile unmanned traffic management (UTM) drone corridor, which runs from Central New York to the Mohawk Valley.

Considered the first of its kind in the nation, the corridor will provide companies with the space to test UAS and UTM technologies in real world settings to collect data that will help inform the industry and regulators, and push society towards regular commercial drone use. 

“The completion of the 50-mile drone corridor is a groundbreaking achievement that caps a key strategy laid out in our CNY Rising plan to make Central New York and the Mohawk Valley a global center for UAS testing and innovation,” says New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo.

The announcement of the corridor’s completion comes less than a week after it was announced that the FAA has granted the New York UAS Test Site at Griffiss International Airport in Rome, New York approval to fly UAS beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) within the first segment of the corridor.

Considered the first “true” BVLOS authority granted to the FAA-designated test site, the approval will allow UAS testing to be conducted without the need for ground-based observers.

To date, Northeast UAS Airspace Integration Research (NUAIR) and the New York UAS Test Site have flown more than 2,500 test flights; all of which required multiple people in the field to have a visual line of sight for the aircraft.

With this “true” BVLOS flight approval, those observers will no longer be required in the field thanks to NUAIR and the Test Site demonstrating to the FAA that they can safely conduct BVLOS operations thanks to a combination of the proper safety measures and technologies. 

“The ability to fly with this new authority will help develop and advance many aspects of an air traffic management system for unmanned aircraft,” says NUAIR CEO Michael Hertzendorf.

“In order for us to fully employ, operate and unlock the true potential of unmanned systems and achieve a reality where drones are conducting routine missions such as inspecting power lines, protecting critical infrastructure, or delivering medical supplies, we need to ensure the proper safety elements are in place. This authority greatly enhances our ability to test towards that end state.”