Billed as the world’s largest unmanned vehicle systems exhibition, the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International is hosting its 2009 convention in Washington DC this week.
Flint Hill Solutions in Augusta is one of about 300 exhibitors at the show, expected to draw 5,000 attendees from 30 countries.
Flint Hills Solutions recently received approval from the Federal Aviation Administration to fly its UAV over an emergency response training area called Crisis City north of Salina. That’s an important step to help open up the market to use UAVs in emergency response situations, company officials say. The company also is working to miniaturize technology for use on UAVs and is working closely with Kansas State University in Salina.
WICHITA– Flint Solutions in Wichita received authorization from the Federal Aviation Administration for its Aerosonde unmanned aerial vehicle to fly over Crisis City.
The Certificate of Authorization (COA) is a major step in supporting unmanned aerial systems project at Kansas State University and will help applying UAV technology in emergency response situations, Dennis Kuhlman, dean of K-State College of Technology and Aviation said in a statement.
Crisis City is part of the Great Plains Joint Training Center next to the National Guard’s Smoky Hill Weapons Range.
Until now, the Aerosonde has been limited to flying in restricted airspace over the Smoky Hills Weapons Range. The ability to fly over Crisis City will allow it to be involved in more extensive search and rescue operations through the use of training sites.
The COA is a waiver that represents a procedural interim mechanism that authorizes UAV flight as the FAA evolves regulatory airworthiness, collision avoidance standards and certification requirements to be implemented through Special Federal Aviation Regulations, Kulhman said.
