Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership Test Site Cleared for Operation 

Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe examines a small UAS. AUVSI photo.

By Brett Davis



And then there were six — the final Federal Aviation Administration-selected UAS test site location was deemed fully operational on 13 Aug. at an event at Virginia Tech, which featured Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe and FAA Administrator Michael Huerta.



The event also included a flying demonstration, where a Virginia Tech-modified small DJI Flamewheel F550 UAS surveyed two crash scenes — one with a truck carrying mock hazardous material and one of a mock motorcycle accident.



Unmanned aircraft “are going to be used in countless industries all across the commonwealth, the country and the globe,” McAuliffe said. “They will of course improve productivity, support advanced rescue operations and revolutionize the way that we do business, and I'm just glad that the kickoff is right here in the commonwealth of Virginia.”



Afterward, McAuliffe examined the UAS that flew the demonstration and declared, “This is the future.”



The test site is the Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership and includes airspace in Virginia, New Jersey and Maryland, with its headquarters at the Institute of Critical Technology and Applied Science in Blacksburg, Virginia. The FAA granted the site seven certificates of authorization over two years for a variety of vehicles, including both rotorcraft like the DJI and fixed-wing vehicles.



Huerta said the aviation partnership will use UAS to for activities such as mapping rural environments, monitoring crops, detecting weeds and insects, and monitoring power lines and cell towers for damage — something that puts human lives at risk. Through its sites in New Jersey and Maryland, it will also study UAS use in congested airspace and near airports with control towers.



“The whole process is designed to be very dynamic and very flexible,” Huerta told AUVSI’s Unmanned Systems after the event. “We granted seven COAs today. They have other COAs that they are asking for as part of the research program. I expect that they'll probably be coming in and asking for certificates for things we can't even anticipate today based on what the research is telling them.”



Reporters asked Huerta whether the U.S. Is moving too slowly in integration and possibly falling behind other countries.



“I don't think so,” he said. “I think that what we are dealing with is very safe integration. …  First and foremost, what Americans expect from us and what industry expects from us is that we do it right. The worst thing that could happen is that we have some sort of catastrophic incident that really sets back this technology for years.”



“There are a lot of people who want to get this out in the market as quickly as possible,” but he said other groups, including private and commercial pilots, are concerned about UAS. “These are all big, important questions, and we as a country need to come together and address those questions. Research is the best way to do it.”