FAA authorizes NUAIR Alliance, Griffiss to conduct drone testing

ROME, N.Y. — The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has authorized (NUAIR Alliance) and Griffiss International Airport in Rome to conduct testing of drones, or unmanned-aircraft systems (UAS).

The application approval for the certificate of authorization (COA) clears the way for testing under the FAA-designated Griffiss International Airport UAS test site.

The organizations involved made the announcement in a news release that Syracuse–based CenterState CEO, the region’s primary economic-development organization, distributed on Thursday.

NUAIR Alliance is short for Northeast UAS Airspace Integration Research Alliance.

This will be the first test flight that NUAIR Alliance conducts after the FAA chose the organization earlier this year to operate one of six UAS test sites in the U.S.

 Before the first test flights can start, the NUAIR Alliance team will establish an independent safety-review board to collect additional information and create a flight plan.

That part of the process can take about two weeks to complete, according to the joint statement.

Once NUAIR finishes the process, the NUAIR Alliance-Griffiss team will coordinate a series of test flights on behalf of Cornell Cooperative Extension.

The NUAIR Alliance team has worked for more than two years to bring this “amazing, life-changing technology opportunity” to New York and Massachusetts, Lawrence Brinker, executive director and general counsel for NUAIR Alliance, said in the news release.

“We are excited to begin the process of establishing and reviewing a flight plan. The successful completion of which enables us to begin test flights in the safest possible manner and focus on the research needed by Cornell Cooperative Extension,” said Brinker.

The first COA is an “important step forward” in the advancement of the UAS industry in this region, Rob Simpson, president and CEO of CenterState CEO and president of the NUAIR Alliance board of directors, said in the news release.

“The NUAIR Alliance is in contact with more than 40 organizations and agencies, looking to partner on UAS testing, training and contract opportunities. These relationships have the potential to advance the research and development of new technologies and processes and attract new permanent businesses to the region. We look forward to beginning this work and paving the way for additional test flights in the coming months,” said Simpson.

The COA allows Cornell Cooperative Extension to fly a drone below 400 feet over a farm in Batavia in Genesee County.

A firm called PrecisionHawk manufactured the drone, the news release said. The company is headquartered in Thornhill, Ont., according to its website.

PrecisionHawk currently works with clients worldwide in industries that include agriculture, insurance, and oil and gas.

For this operation, the Lancaster Hawkeye Mk III, a small fixed-wing aircraft, will carry visual, thermal, multi-spectral, and video sensors, the release stated.

These sensors will evaluate field crops like corn, soybeans, and wheat and collect data on conditions such as crop growth, insect activity, disease spread, and soil conditions.

As a test-site operator, the Griffiss International Airport-NUAIR Alliance team will coordinate drone test flights, and collect and analyze data to develop safety, performance, and certification standards for integrating drones into national airspace and for civilian use.

Future testing will happen at various locations in New York and Massachusetts with testing facilities anchored at Griffiss International Airport and Joint Base Cape Cod in Massachusetts, according to the news release.

CenterState CEO and MassDevelopment are leading the NUAIR Alliance.

CenterState CEO, with 2,000 member companies, says it works to increase business competitiveness, community prosperity, and regional growth in the 12-county CenterState New York region.

MassDevelopment, the Commonwealth’s finance and development agency, says it works with businesses, nonprofits, financial institutions, and communities to stimulate economic growth throughout Massachusetts.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com