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ACUASI Demonstrates Airport to Airport Drone Supply in Alaska

by DRONELIFE Employees Author Ian J. McNabb

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The Alaska Heart for Unmanned Plane Techniques Integration lately accomplished an vital milestone within the growth of an area drone business when their SeaHunter drone accomplished an uncrewed flight from Nenana Airport all the way in which to the Fairbanks Worldwide Airport, a 45-mile journey. Carried out by a College of Alaska Fairbanks analysis heart, the take a look at flight, (the primary airport-to-airport UAV journey within the state), was designed to indicate new methods to combine UAVs into industrial air operations. ACUASI, a division of the UAF Geophysical Institute, had beforehand run loop routes out of Fairbanks Worldwide to observe departures, arrivals, and runway strategy observe. 

The Airport to Airport Drone Supply Demonstration

“These are a few of the first steps for drone deliveries throughout Alaska,” ACUASI Deputy Director Nick Adkins stated of Friday’s flight. “With the management tower at FAI and a route alongside the Tanana River, the drone and assist staff encountered nearly all of what’s wanted to fly from Fairbanks to Galena, for instance. A flight like this enables testing and proving of command and management hyperlinks, plane functionality, detect and keep away from applied sciences, managed and uncontrolled airport operations, and integration of the drones and crew into the Nationwide Airspace System.”

The SeaHunter is a twin-engine, 299-lb UAV with a 16-foot wingspan. It carries sufficient gas to run for over 10 hours. As a consequence of FAA rules, the take a look at flight required using a chase car, on this case a Robinson-44 helicopter. At Fairbanks Airport, the drone was required to combine with native air-traffic management programs, however at Nenena, which is a smaller airport, it used widespread radio frequencies to sign to different native pilots within the space. 

The SeaHunter drone of the Alaska Heart for Unmanned Plane Techniques Integration flies to Fairbanks Worldwide Airport from Nenana on Sept. 8, 2023. Photograph by Nick Adkins

“What we’re doing is demonstrating that drones can and can be capable of combine into regular operations at airports,” Adkins stated.

UAF is considered one of seven FAA-designated unmanned plane programs take a look at websites established to develop and take a look at drone know-how. ACUASI additionally sponsored the primary International Autonomous Techniques Convention final month in Anchorage. The 2024 convention is scheduled for Aug. 13-15 and can once more be held at Anchorage’s Dena’ina Civic and Conference Heart.

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Ian McNabb is a workers author based mostly in Boston, MA. His pursuits embody geopolitics, rising applied sciences, environmental sustainability, and Boston School sports activities.

Miriam McNabb is the Editor-in-Chief of DRONELIFE and CEO of JobForDrones, knowledgeable drone providers market, and a fascinated observer of the rising drone business and the regulatory setting for drones. Miriam has penned over 3,000 articles centered on the industrial drone house and is a global speaker and acknowledged determine within the business.  Miriam has a level from the College of Chicago and over 20 years of expertise in excessive tech gross sales and advertising for brand spanking new applied sciences.
For drone business consulting or writing, Electronic mail Miriam.

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