FAA Approves Test Sites to be 'Broad Platform' for UAS Operations



By Brett Davis



The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has selected six test sites to study a “broad array” of issues related to unmanned aircraft, agency Administrator Michael Huerta announced on 30 Dec.



The sites are headed by the University of Alaska, the state of Nevada, New York's Griffiss International Airport, the North Dakota Department of Commerce, Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi, and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.



The first site is to be operational within 180 days, Huerta said, with the rest to be online “as quickly as possible.”



“The important thing about today's announcement is it provides the platform for this research to be carried out on a very large scale, really across the entire country,” he said in a phone conference with reporters. “In the selection of these six, we have broad diversity across the country, in a variety of airspace and climate configurations. We received many great proposals, but in picking six what we have here is a great platform to provide research all across the country.”



Alaska's proposal has “a diverse set of test site range locations in seven climatic zones” as well as site range locations in Hawaii and Oregon, according to an FAA press release. Nevada will focus on UAS standards and operations, as well as operator standards and certification requirements. New York will help in “researching the complexities of integrating UAS into the congested, Northeast airspace.”



North Dakota was the only site to offer a test range in the temperate continental climate zone, and it will develop airworthiness data and validate reliable link technology, as Huerta mentioned lost-link reactions as being one area that needs to be considered. Texas A&M plans to develop system safety requirements for vehicles and operators, and Virginia Tech plans to conduct UAS failure mode testing, as well as offering test site range locations in both Virginia and New Jersey.



Huerta said the sites will also be required to develop privacy policies for their use of UAS, which will be made public, and test site users will need to have a written plan outlining their retention of testing data.



The test site applicants were required to submit economic development data to the FAA, and Huerta said “there's no question that these are important businesses in the states that are selected.”



Under the current FAA authorization, the test sites can operate until 13 Feb., 2017, at which time the FAA would need to be reauthorized, and Huerta said he would expect Congress to consider extending the test sites beyond that date.



He also noted that the agency is continuing to work on a proposal for rules for the integration of small umanned aircraft, which it plans to release “early next year.” He noted that limited commercial use of UAS was approved earlier this year for operations in the Arctic and said this could be expanded as work on the test sites continues.



“As the research is going on, there will be particular activities that will be authorized as we move out in the operation of these test sites.”