Later this month, construction is scheduled to begin on the country’s first business park specifically for unmanned aircraft.
The Associated Press reports that the first order of business for Grand Sky Development Corp., the park’s manager, will be building an eight-foot-high security chain link fence, with barbed wire at the top, to surround 200 acres adjacent to the Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota.
Last week, the 1.2-million-sf Grand Sky aerospace technology park—one of six sites designated by the Federal Aviation Administration for drone testing—was awarded $5.6 million from the state. North Dakota has already invested more than $30 million at this park, which recently added Northrup Grumman as its second anchor tenant, along with General Atomics. North Dakota’s legislature has appropriated $4.4 million for Grand Sky’s future development.
The contract for constructing the fence, which had been planned since 2011, was awarded to Grand Forks-based iconHD, whose parent company is ICON Architectural Group.
Thomas Swoyer, Jr., Grand Sky Development’s president, says the fence is “symbolic,” in that it will “define the park space and give us the ability to control our own access to it.”
General Atomics has signed a tentative agreement to establish an unmanned aerial systems training academy at the park.
In the summer of 2014, FAA announced the selection of the six public entities that would develop unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) research at test sites around the country. One of these is the North Dakota Department of Commerce, which was issued a Certificate of Waiver or Authorization (COA) to begin using a Draganflyer X4ES small UAS at its Northern Plains Unmanned Aircraft Systems Test Site.
Other drone test-site operators include:
• The University of Alaska, which was issued a COA that authorized flights by an Aeryon Scout small UAS for animal surveys at the university’s Pan-Pacific UAS Test Range Complex in Fairbanks. That authorization encompasses test ranges in Hawaii, Oregon, Kansas, and Tennessee.
• The State of Nevada, which was authorized to test an onsite ScanEagle drone at the Desert Rock Airport located in Mercury, Nev. Desert Rock Airport is a private airport owned and operated by the Department of Energy. The ScanEagle flies at or below 3,000 feet.
• Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi plans to develop safety requirement for UAS vehicles. It is authorized to use an AAAI RS-16 UAS, which weights about 85 pounds and has a wingspan of almost 13 feet.
• Griffiss International Airport is authorized to test at a site in Rome, N.Y. One drone is a PrecisionHawk Lancaster Platform UAS that weighs about three pounds and has a wingspan of four feet. Texas-based HoverStat, which develops technology to use small drones for measuring roofs for solar panel installation, reportedly decided to choose Syracuse as a testing location because the Rome site was nearby.
• Virginia Polytechnic Institute is conducting failure mode testing with a Smart Road Flyer, a low cost, low risk multi-rotor UAS being developed to support research in vehicle and highway systems. Other UAS models being tested include an eSPAARO, Aeryon Sky Ranger, MANTRA2, Sig Rascal, and two AVID EDF-8 micro UASs.
At this site, the Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership—a part of Greene’s Institute—has spearheaded drone research. The Virginia Tech site is partnered with the University of Maryland and Rutgers University in New Jersey.
Last month, the Federal Aviation Administration waived the authorization process for the agency’s six nationwide drone test sites that had required clearance before moving forward with research exercises at or below 200 feet.
Related Stories
Affordable Housing | Aug 7, 2024
The future of affordable housing may be modular, AI-driven, and made of mushrooms
Demolished in 1989, The Phoenix Ironworks Steel Factory left a five-acre hole in West Oakland, Calif. After sitting vacant for nearly three decades, the site will soon become utilized again in the form of 316 affordable housing units.
Great Solutions | Jul 23, 2024
41 Great Solutions for architects, engineers, and contractors
AI ChatBots, ambient computing, floating MRIs, low-carbon cement, sunshine on demand, next-generation top-down construction. These and 35 other innovations make up our 2024 Great Solutions Report, which highlights fresh ideas and innovations from leading architecture, engineering, and construction firms.
Virtual Reality | Jul 8, 2024
Can a VR-enabled AEC firm transform your project?
With the aid of virtual reality and three-dimensional visualization technologies, designers, consultants, and their clients can envision a place as though the project were in a later stage.
Affordable Housing | May 30, 2024
General contractor’s keys to a successful affordable housing project
General contractors can have tremendous influence over a project’s success in terms of schedule, budget, and quality. However, to ensure a project is put on this path, there are a few factors that must be considered.
AEC Tech | Apr 30, 2024
Lack of organizational readiness is biggest hurdle to artificial intelligence adoption
Managers of companies in the industrial sector, including construction, have bought the hype of artificial intelligence (AI) as a transformative technology, but their organizations are not ready to realize its promise, according to research from IFS, a global cloud enterprise software company. An IFS survey of 1,700 senior decision-makers found that 84% of executives anticipate massive organizational benefits from AI.
AEC Innovators | Apr 26, 2024
National Institute of Building Sciences announces Building Innovation 2024 schedule
The National Institute of Building Sciences is hosting its annual Building Innovation conference, May 22-24 at the Capital Hilton in Washington, D.C. BI2024 brings together everyone who impacts the built environment: government agencies, contractors, the private sector, architects, scientists, and more.
BIM and Information Technology | Mar 11, 2024
BIM at LOD400: Why Level of Development 400 matters for design and virtual construction
As construction projects grow more complex, producing a building information model at Level of Development 400 (LOD400) can accelerate schedules, increase savings, and reduce risk, writes Stephen E. Blumenbaum, PE, SE, Walter P Moore's Director of Construction Engineering.
AEC Tech | Mar 9, 2024
9 steps for implementing digital transformation in your AEC business
Regardless of a businesses size and type, digital solutions like workflow automation software, AI-based analytics, and integrations can significantly enhance efficiency, productivity, and competitiveness.
AEC Tech | Feb 28, 2024
How to harness LIDAR and BIM technology for precise building data, equipment needs
By following the Scan to Point Cloud + Point Cloud to BIM process, organizations can leverage the power of LIDAR and BIM technology at the same time. This optimizes the documentation of existing building conditions, functions, and equipment needs as a current condition and as a starting point for future physical plant expansion projects.
AEC Innovators | Feb 28, 2024
How Suffolk Construction identifies ConTech and PropTech startups for investment, adoption
Contractor giant Suffolk Construction has invested in 27 ConTech and PropTech companies since 2019 through its Suffolk Technologies venture capital firm. Parker Mundt, Suffolk Technologies’ Vice President–Platforms, recently spoke with Building Design+Construction about his company’s investment strategy.