March 8, 2021

Oklahoma City, OK – The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is partnering with the Choctaw Nation to study how Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) can best transport cargo, including parcels, at lower altitudes.

The FAA’s Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center (MMAC), signed a three-year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma.

The agreement will enable the MMAC to work with the Choctaw Nation to study human factors, supply chain management and air traffic control. The parties will use virtual simulated urban environments for their research. One goal of the MOU is to promote interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics programs for students seeking possible careers in aerospace.

“The FAA and the Choctaw Nation share an interest in safety,” said Michelle Coppedge, Director of the MMAC. “Our goal is to advance the development and integration of UAS into what is already a complex National Airspace System.”

”The MMAC plays a critical role in ensuring the safety of aviation operations in our nation, and we are excited to establish formal ties between our organizations to jointly support the development and safe integration of emerging aviation technologies into our national airspace system,” said James L Grimsley, Executive Director of Advanced Technology Initiatives with the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma.

The Choctaw Nation is the only tribal government selected by the U. S. Department of Transportation to participate in the Unmanned Aerial System Integration Pilot Program. It was one of 9 active pilot sites in the United States selected to work in collaboration with the FAA and industry to conduct advanced UAS operations

The Nation also was the first tribal government to be recognized by the FAA as a Public Aircraft Operator. It was the only lead participant to work with the Volpe National Transportation Systems Center on acoustics testing for UAS used in agriculture, remote infrastructure inspections, public safety and other areas.

More than 6,300 employees, contractors and students work at the FAA’s aeronautical center, which is located on the west side of Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City. The center touches every aspect of the nation’s airspace by providing training, supply chain management, medical/educational human factors research and the national registration database of all U.S.-registered aircraft and pilots. It also offers financial management and acquisition services for a wide array of federal agencies.

BEYOND

Oct 26, 2020 - Iris Automation Showcases BVLOS Tech to City of Reno

October 25, 2017–WASHINGTON

President Donald J. Trump directed U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao today to launch an initiative to safely test and validate advanced operations for drones in partnership with state and local governments in select jurisdictions. The Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Integration Pilot Program implements a directive signed by President Trump today, and the results will be used to accelerate the safe integration of UAS into the national airspace and to realize the benefits of unmanned technology in our economy.

Fact Sheet

Questions and Answers on UAS Integration Pilot Program

Nov 2, 2017 - UAS Integration Pilot Program

The UAS Integration Pilot Program is an opportunity for state, local, and tribal governments to partner with private sector entities, such as UAS operators or manufacturers, to accelerate safe UAS integration. Entities that wish to participate in the program form teams and submit proposals to the FAA to fly more advanced UAS operations, such as beyond visual line-of-sight or over people.

The Program is expected to provide immediate opportunities for new and expanded commercial UAS operations, foster a meaningful dialogue on the balance between local and national interests related to UAS integration, and provide actionable information to the Department of Transportation (DOT) on expanded and universal integration of UAS into the National Airspace System (NAS).

AUGUST 2018

The FAA’s UAS Integration Pilot Program has been busy accelerating drone technology in four states this month. 

“Data gathered from these pilot projects will form the basis of a new regulatory framework to safely integrate drones into our national airspace,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao at the May 9 announcement of the 10 selectees. 

“We’re working with state, local, and tribal governments and private industry to demonstrate and study expanded drone operations,” said Acting FAA Administrator Dan Elwell. “This program gives us a better understanding of how operations over people, beyond visual line of sight ops, and flying drones at night work at the local level.” 

Successful flights in North Carolina, Virginia, Kansas and Oklahoma demonstrate how the FAA’s program awardees are using drones in innovative ways to assist in their communities in their day-to-day duties. Just yesterday, WakeMed Health and Hospitals successfully flew a Matternet drone in Raleigh, N.C. to demonstrate how drones can be used to deliver medical supplies to rural areas. In other flights, the Virginia Tech Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership and the FAA teamed up to successfully complete the country’s first long-distance drone delivery test; an ice-cream cone was delivered to a child. The Kansas Department of Transportation and the FAA flew a drone beyond visual sight, a giant step towards advancing drone technology to help precision agriculture and infrastructure inspections. In Oklahoma, the Choctaw Nation and the FAA demonstrated how drones can be used to bait feral hog traps.

The FAA UAS Integration Pilot Program is opening the door for new opportunities in commerce, photography, emergency management, agricultural support and infrastructure inspections. 

Sarah Nilsson, J.D., Ph.D., MAS

602 561 8665

sarah@sarahnilsson.org

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