K-State Salina Granted Statewide Airspace Access for UAS
K-State Salina's UAS program flies a quadcopter with a multispectral camera over a cornfield in northeast Kansas. Photo: Kansas State University Salina.
Kansas State University Salina became the first entity to gain Federal Aviation Administration approval to fly unmanned aircraft systems statewide in research operations.
The university received three certificates of authorization that allow it to conduct research using unmanned aircraft on all public property in the state and on private property with landowner permission. The COAs are effective for two years.
“Our statewide access will allow us to continue to provide practical applications of technology to our students and will further develop our research abilities for the university, the FAA and our industry partners,” says K-State Salina’s UAS Flight Operations Manager Kurt Carraway.
Operations will mainly consist of research for remote sensing applications in agriculture and emergency response. According to a university press release, students will now be able to benefit from more application-based experiences supporting many facets of UAS flight from integrating equipment and sensors to analyzing data as part of ground crew support.
K-State Salina must still follow safety protocols for each flight. The university cannot fly over 700 feet above ground level and the operator must hold a private pilot certificate to fly above 400 feet. Operations must take place during the day, within visual line of sight and not over crowds or busy roadways. To fly below 400 feet the operator must have completed private pilot ground instruction and a written exam in the past two years. Also, K-State must issue a notice to airmen at least 24 hours before any flights.
“The nature of agriculture research is subjective to environmental conditions and it’s important that we are able to investigate the impact of drought, floods, insect infestation and other factors,” says Carraway. “Before this access, we would have to apply for a COA from the FAA for a specific area of Kansas and then wait at least 60 days for approval. In a two-month period, valuable information could be lost.”
This broad airspace access paired with K-State’s fleet of over 20 fixed wing and rotary unmanned aircraft will provide valuable data about integration of UAS into the national airspace system.
“Two common interests regarding the flying of unmanned aircraft surround safety and privacy, and we take those things very seriously,” says K-State Salina’s UAS program manager. “One of the most important guidelines we follow is getting a landowner’s permission before flying on private property. We also carefully evaluate each mission to ensure that all risks are mitigated before we even leave the campus to go fly.”
K-State Salina was one of the first universities in the country to offer a bachelor’s degree in UAS. The program began in 2011 and enrollment has nearly doubled its enrollment every year.
