MAAP Flies With Textron Under New COA
The Aerosonde UAS is catapult-launched and recovered by net. Photo: Textron Systems.
Today, Textron Systems announced a certificate of authorization to start flying its Aerosonde unmanned aircraft system with the Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership, one of the six Federal Aviation Administration-approved test sites, to support national airspace integration research near Blackstone, Virginia.
MAAP Executive Director Rose Mooney, on a press call this morning, was excited to work with Textron and called this activity “groundbreaking.”
“We help companies test their aircraft in compliance with FAA regulations,” says Mooney. “This process of safely integrating unmanned aircraft into the national airspace is going to lead to a thriving new industry in the United States.”
The teams will test sensor integration for use in industries such as precision agriculture, environmental and emergency management applications, and they will develop safety operations and training protocol for UAS.
The Aerosonde model approved under the COA has a maximum takeoff weight of 75 pounds, a 20-pound payload capacity, 14-hour endurance and a maximum speed around 70 mph, according to David Phillips, Textron vice president for small-medium endurance UAS. The aircraft has competed over 90,000 flight miles, and in 2007 it was the first UAS to fly into the eye of a hurricane and observed it for over seven hours. Overseas oil and gas companies are currently using the system for pipeline security and inspection.
Flight tests began on 19 Nov.in Blackstone, where, according to Phillips, Textron has a schoolhouse and training center. However, Mooney would add that additional locations may come into play in the future.
Mooney and Phillips both acknowledged that this was a very exciting opportunity but that it would still be a long time before there is commercial flight in the United States because of lagging regulations and lack of testing data on airspace integration, sensor integration and operational viability.
“We have just begun to scratch the surface of what unmanned systems can accomplish for our communities, our economies and our world,” says Phillips.
