special report
12
unmanned systems
inside
Spring 2014
ike teenagers who used Facebook to invite over
a few friends, aviation officials seem to have
gotten more than they bargained for when they
invited proposals for test ranges to help speed
integration of unmanned aircraft into the na-
tion's skyways.
At the direction of Congress, the Federal Avi-
ation Administration (FAA) set out to create a
network of six ranges where Unmanned Air-
craft Systems (UAS), commonly called drones,
could be tested and the results used to craft the
rules needed to allow those aircraft to finally
begin operating commercially. Now there are
nearly 20 test ranges in operation or under de-
velopment—all intent on securing a toehold in
the UAS industry. How the FAA handles the
competition between them will almost certain-
ly shape the industry for years to come.
The marching orders for the test range ap-
proach are in the FAA Modernization and Re-
form Act of 2012, which was signed into law
on Feb. 14, 2012. Lawmakers told the agency
to stand up six test ranges by the end of 2013.
On Dec. 30 the agency calmly announced the
selection of range operators in Alaska, Nevada,
New York, North Dakota, Texas and Virginia.
Profiles of these ranges, whose FAA role lasts
until Feb. 2017, can be found immediately after
this story.
The competition leading up to that announce-
ment, however, was anything but calm. Galva-
nized by the promise of a foothold in a new
multi-billion dollar industry, 25 teams in 24
states crafted alliances between their universi-
ties, economic development officials and local
companies. They lined up support from their
congressional delegates and submitted their
plans to the FAA. Vast stretches of airspace, net-
works of laboratories and experienced research-
ers anchored some proposals while other teams
had less seasoned capabilities and range plans
that were, perhaps, more aspirational. Whatever
A Range of Choices
l
by Dee Ann Divis
The Global Observer
from AeroVironment.