“I’ve talked to some of the manufacturers (of UAS’s),” Rep. Steve Austria, R-Beavercreek, said this week. “They’ve told me if we were to get approval, they would be willing to come to Ohio and build aircraft right here in Ohio.”
The FAA started the congressionally-mandated process in March to identify six test areas — areas that will provide data to help the FAA safely integrate routine unmanned aircraft flights into manned airspace by 2015.
While the competitive site selection process isn’t yet under way, the FAA is seeking public input through Tuesday on test-site requirements.
Visit www.faa.gov/about/initiatives/uas to submit a comment.
The first test site is expected to be operational by January, Austria said.
More than two dozen sites nationally are expected to compete for the ability to host remotely piloted test flights, he said.
“The Springfield Air National Guard has a natural setting,” Austria said. “It’s a good fit for the UAVs.”
It’s been hoped that, with existing infrastructure at the Springfield airport and the proximity of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, the region can become a nationally recognized hub of UAS research, training and manufacturing.
“There’s real jobs potential,” said Pat Richards, deputy economic development administrator for Springfield. “We have plenty of space to grow this business.”
When it lost its mission flying F-16s in the Base Realignment and Closure process, the local Air Guard unit began remotely piloting a military drone, the MQ-1 Predator, from here.
Just last month, Sinclair Community College received one-year federal approval to train students and law enforcement to fly unmanned aircraft at the Springfield airport. The aircraft, however, must be flown within sight.
There’s expected to be a huge civilian market for remotely piloted aircraft in coming years, to do everything from helping first-responders to collecting air samples to gauge pollution levels.
About 50 companies, universities and government organizations in the U.S. already are at work developing 155 unmanned aircraft designs, according to the FAA.
“But they’ve got to have the airspace to be able to fly,” Austria said.
No company, he said, wants to manufacture unmanned aerial vehicles, only to have to ship them elsewhere for test flights.
Working with state and regional leaders, Austria envisions a corridor of airspace from either the Springfield airport or Wright-Patterson to already restricted military airspace in Ohio farther to the southwest. “I’ve included the Springfield Air National Guard in everything I’ve submitted,” he said.
The FAA will begin looking at site applications in August, and has been directed to take into consideration geographic and climatic diversity, in addition to ground infrastructure and research needs.
About the Author