The Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority (MSCAA) will spend the next three years conducting a variety of UAS operations across Memphis under the UAS Integration Pilot Program. 

The only lead applicant selected for the program that is an airport, MSCAA is especially interested in the benefits that drones can offer airports, and ironically enough, manned aircraft. 

Airports are increasingly looking to integrate UAS into their operations, which is something that MSCAA’s President and CEO, Scott Brockman, is also looking to do. 

Having previously served as chair of the American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE), Brockman says one of his goals during his tenure was to raise the awareness of airports’ needs to prepare themselves and develop a pathway to embrace technology as it evolves. 

“In my mind it’s [technology] coming, and there’s no avoiding it,” Brockman tells Unmanned Systems. 

Having already embraced that realization, Brockman says he had been having discussions about how UAS could facilitate “more efficient operations” at Memphis International Airport when MSCAA saw notices for the UAS IPP in late 2017. Upon seeing an ad for the program, Brockman immediately brought his leadership team together and created an internal innovation team. 

Once Brockman told his staff that he wanted MSCAA to be one of the applicants for the program, he took a small contingent to FedEx — also headquartered in Memphis — and asked them to be a partner and develop a team that “could put forward an effort to participate in the program.”

FedEx immediately embraced the idea of being a part of the program and moved forward with the application process. Just a few months later, MSCAA was named as one of the program awardees. 

“Lo and behold, we were selected as one of the 10” applicants, Brockman says enthusiastically. 

For the program, MSCAA has selected five airspaces in Memphis/Shelby County to conduct UAS operations. To accomplish its goals throughout the program, MSCAA has selected a team of partners that range from small businesses within the UAS industry to household names such as FedEx. 

Conducting inspections 

During the UAS IPP, FedEx will use UAS for a myriad of purposes, including to inspect aircraft, as well as for asset tracking, facility security and emergency response. 
Additionally, the delivery services company will use UAS to deliver small aircraft parts on a defined path in the north ramp area. Within these airspaces, UAS will not operate over any person other than authorized personnel during walk-around and inspections and BVLOS for the other use cases.

One of the companies that will assist MSCAA and FedEx during these operations is drone delivery company Flirtey, which will conduct “pioneering package delivery” for FedEx and MSCAA, according to Flirtey CEO Matthew Sweeny.

Flirtey, which has been a pioneer in its own right in the UAS industry by conducting landmark operations including the first FAA-approved drone delivery in the United States back in July 2015, was invited to participate on the Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority team from the outset, after the company built a strong relationship with executives at FedEx. 

For Sweeny, this program will go a long way towards the eventual integration of UAS into the National Airspace System. 

“This fast-track program proves we have hit the inflection point of the drone delivery industry,” Sweeny tells Unmanned Systems via email. “This three-year program will allow us to scale up life-saving drone deliveries and pioneer commercial operations, making drone delivery a reality in America.”

Keeping aircraft safe

Another partner of MSCAA’s for the program is Avitas Systems, a subsidiary of General Electric. During the UAS IPP, Avitas Systems will use UAS to conduct inspections of runways/taxiways for foreign object debris.

Within this airspace, UAS will be operated beyond visual line of sight and a Notice to Airmen will alert pilots of UAS in the area. 

According to Michael Clatworthy, UAS operations director at Avitas Systems, this program will provide the opportunity to look into the feasibility of multiple UAS being managed by a single operator. Clatworthy also notes that using UAS for these purposes at an airport will help build confidence in using this technology to benefit manned aircraft.  

“UAS can help make manned aviation safer,” Clatworthy says in an interview with Unmanned Systems. “People will realize the benefits of UAS working in the same space as manned and commercial aviation.”  

Other use cases

Another airspace of MSCAA’s during the program covers Shelby Farms, Agricenter International, as well as the Wolf and Mississippi Rivers. According to MSCAA, UAS will be used in this airspace for precision agriculture, environmental protection, infrastructure protection and package delivery for medical needs within Shelby Farms. UAS will operate at night and BVLOS within this airspace. 

For the final airspace under the UAS IPP, the City of Memphis will operate UAS within an airspace that includes the Liberty Bowl, with use cases including infrastructure inspection, public safety, and medical deliveries. Operations will include BVLOS, night and operations over people.

For its operations during the program, MSCAA will have additional assistance from Memphis-based company 901Drones, which will provide its Waivers and Authorizations, mission planning and piloting skills to MSCAA. 

901Drones saw the UAS IPP as a “dynamic and rich opportunity to participate in a program that would collect data in order to come up with methods to allow more complex low-altitude operations safely,” according to the company’s president, Kerry Stockslager. After learning that MSCAA was considering being a lead applicant for the program, 901Drones offered its experience and expertise as a team member, which MSCAA accepted. 

Like MSCAA’s other partners in the UAS IPP, Stockslager is extremely optimistic about what this program will do to positively impact the UAS industry. 

“By the end of the UAS IPP program, I believe that with the data collected, the FAA will have a sound basis to develop additional safe practice guidelines so SUAS will be able to perform more complex missions in a manner that will continue the low incident record of manned aircraft that currently exists,” Stockslager says via email. 

“In addition to the role of data collecting for safe drone-use practices, the FAA IPP program is geared toward allowing us the opportunities to build enhanced communications with local and state agencies as well as improving the general public’s understanding of SUAS’ uses and privacy concerns.” 

Healthy confidence

Upon being named one of the IPP awardees, Brockman says a member of his staff said, “well boss, I don’t know about you, but I feel like the dog that caught the car, now what do we do?” 
Brockman had a slightly different reaction, “one of great excitement,” he says, adding he looks at participation in the program as an “honor to participate in something that will be on cutting edge of making history.”

With no shortage of strong partners for the program, Brockman is confident MSCAA will accomplish everything it sets out to accomplish during the program. 

“We’re going to deliver everything we promised, and then some,” Brockman says. 

Top: Memphis International Airport. Photo: MCAA. Below: 901Drones' Kerry Stockslager uses a drone to take images of normally inaccessible quarry walls for a university project. Photo: 901Drones