FAA OKs UAS Flight at St. Mary’s
The Federal Aviation Administration’s authorization of unmanned flight out of the Walter Francis Duke Regional Airport in California, MD, continues to advance development of a University System of Maryland research center, planned at the Southern Maryland Higher Education Center next to the airport.
Maryland Delegate John Bohanan (D-29B) highlighted what the authorization means for Southern Maryland. “This FAA stamp of approval is the federal government’s recognition of our airspace integration efforts, which are part of our region’s autonomous research initiative – a key to our economic growth and diversification.”
The University of Maryland (UMD) Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Test Site, located in California, Md., today received a Certificate of Waiver or Authorization (COA) from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to fly the Talon 240, designed and manufactured by UAV Solutions, Inc. of Jessup, Md. This authorization resulted from the first use of UMD’s airworthiness process, the only known university airworthiness process that is modeled after the U.S. Navy’s rigorous standards for ensuring the safety and reliability of its manned and unmanned aircraft.
The UMD UAS Test Site is a leader in unmanned systems research, development, testing, and education. The Test Site leverages the capabilities of the people and infrastructure of Southern Maryland and the University System of Maryland for technical and policy issues associated with UAS.
“This flight authorization is significant because it builds on the existing relationship between the University of Maryland and the Navy, and applies our mutually disciplined research approaches to the cutting edge of civil and commercial unmanned aviation,” said Dr. Darryll Pines, Farvardin Professor and Dean of the UMD A. James Clark School of Engineering.
With a 20-foot wingspan, the Talon 240 can fly for up to three and a half hours. The Talon was designed for use by military and universities needing a proven platform to conduct operations and research.
The test site will conduct its inaugural research flight using the Talon 240 in Somerset County this December. For additional information, visit www.uas-test.umd.edu or call 240-309-4UAS.
About the UMD UAS Test Site
