FAA Queries for Final Center of Excellence Applicants



By Danielle Lucey



Today the Federal Aviation Administration released its final solicitation seeking applicants for the Center of Excellence for Unmanned Aircraft Systems, a facility that will have the duty of looking at current and future issues related to the safe integration of UAS in the national airspace. 



Among the topics the new center will address are detect and avoid, control and communications, low-altitude operations, compatibility with air traffic control, and training and certification for UAS pilots and crew. 



The deadline for team proposals is 15 Sept. 



Upon selection, the center will receive $500,000 in funding per year for the next 10 years, as a minimum, from the agency. If a university is selected, it will be required to match that dollar amount. 



A statement from the FAA said how this center of excellence will work with the current six test sites it selected for research on integration of unmanned aircraft will be determined after the center is up and running. 



The final solicitation is available at the following website: http://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/ang/offices/management/coe.