UMD Test Site Receives COA
Talon 240 UAV. Photo courtesy UAV Solutions, Inc.
The University of Maryland unmanned aircraft systems test site received a certificate of authorization from the Federal Aviation Administration to fly the UAV Solutions, Inc. Talon 240.
The COA resulted from the first use of the university’s airworthiness process, which is modeled after the U.S. Navy’s standards for aircraft safety.
“This flight authorization is significant because it builds on the existing relationship between the University of Maryland and the navy, and applies our mutually disciplined research approaches to the cutting edge of civil and commercial unmanned aviation,” says Dr. Darryll Pines, professor and dean of the UMD James Clark School of Engineering.
The Talon 240, which has a 20-foot wingspan and can remain airborne for three and a half hours, will first fly at the test center this December.
“This FAA stamp of approval is the federal government’s recognition of our airspace integration efforts, which are part of our region’s autonomous research initiative – a key to out economic growth and diversification,” says Maryland Delegate John Bohanan.
