Advanced Aviation Solutions

Advanced Aviation Solutions

David Sparks Ph.D.
David Sparks Ph.D.
I went into the military when I was 17 years old. Worked my way up through the ranks, became a lieutenant colonel retired. I was in your traffic controller, was a fighter pilot, flew F-4’s and then flew the Stealth fighter in the Gulf War, when into test and evaluation with that product after the Gulf War, retired and went to work for a major airline, flew 57, 67, 37, the Airbus and the Boeing 777, essentially everything except for the 747 and the 787, got recalled to active duty in 2010 and went back onto active duty voluntarily for three years and three months so 39 months I spent on active duty flying unmanned aircraft and I was tasked as a project officer back on active duty to work with the United States Navy and Northrop Grumman to join a cockpit team to evaluate the next generation of unmanned aircraft systems development and best my life in two seconds.”

Actually 59 seconds but do you think that Steve Edgar has a valuable aviation background? Yes, I guess so. Here is his tie-in to the app aforementioned aviation solutions for farmers. Steve has very aggressively produced a startup call Advanced Aviation Solutions which has become the first company to win federal approval to use drones in farm settings. “We have been working on developing unmanned aircraft technologies in industry. We recognize that aerospace in general was underdeveloped and as a result my UAS project turned into an Aerospace project. Stay tuned.

 

The goal is to use small drones to help Northwest farmers grow crops more efficiently.

The company is co-owned by two Air Force veterans who retired to the inland Northwest. It now has the green light to market a fixed wing drone for use over farms.

Company president Steve Edgar said the 1.5-pound drone with a three-foot wingspan can be equipped with a high resolution camera to measure crop stress from overwatering, bad soil or bugs.

"If we can identify the stress early on and pinpoint it to a very high degree of accuracy, then the farmer can take corrective action early in the growth cycle to increase his yields,” he said.

Edgar said the aerial scouting can enable more precise application of water, fertilizer and chemicals, which reduces costs from overuse and associated environmental impacts.

The Federal Aviation Administration put numerous conditions in its approval letter that would not apply to a hobbyist flying a similar sized drone. Among other things, the commercial drone operator must be a certified pilot, keep maintenance records, and be teamed with a ground observer.

Several other Northwest companies including Amazon.com are still waiting for FAA approval to fly unmanned aircraft for business purposes.

Edgar said he is optimistically targeting March 2015 to begin flight operations with the drones-for-hire. His company still needs another FAA approval, which will list the specific geographic areas judged safe to fly within. Advanced Aviation Solutions initially hopes to serve farm customers in rural Idaho, eastern Washington and eastern Oregon.

In fits and starts, the FAA is processing exemptions like this to its standing ban on commercial use of unmanned aircraft systems. Several years ago, Congress directed the agency to write rules to integrate small unmanned aircraft into the national airspace. The FAA missed a self-imposed deadline to release a draft of those rules by the end of 2014.

Increasingly, American politicians and business leaders are voicing concerns that other countries with more accommodating regulatory regimes will reap the benefits of the developing drone industry. But in the nation's capital, as well as state capitals such as Olympia and Salem, complicated privacy and safety considerations are slowing down the promulgation of drone regulations.Drones are starting to find landing pads in our neck of the woods.

Some believe the research and development of the unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for private and commercial applications can provide an economic boost for Idaho.

 

"It is the future," said Steve Edgar, a retired Air Force pilot who is lobbying for Idaho to become one of six states to have drone testing centers.

"The entire state can benefit from this new industry, and it's not going to go away."

Idaho colleges and universities, the Idaho Department of Commerce and the Idaho Aviation Alliance (a collection of aerospace-related businesses) are among the entities collaborating on getting drones off the ground. Idaho partners had a booth at a national UAV conference in Washington, D.C., in August and have plans for other upcoming promotions.

North Idaho College will offer an introductory drone course to test the local interest in drone development. The class will be taught by Brad Ward, a retired Air Force pilot who helped craft unmanned policy at the Pentagon and has experience flying drones.

"We're trying to give people a bigger base knowledge of drones," Ward said.

Idaho State University will offer full online courses on the subject.

Drones are best known for wartime applications such as gathering intelligence, but the smaller versions domestically have raised eyebrows due to privacy issues.

A whole new world exists for future applications, Ward said.

"The technology is getting cheaper and they're easier to fly," Ward said.

Ward believes the biggest concern regarding drones should come with citizens spying on their neighbors' back yards, but states are passing laws to address privacy issues. He doesn't believe there should be fear about government watching over us with drones because the government has bigger fish to fry with the technology.

"The government has its hands full overseas," Ward said.

Public entities are using drones in search and rescue, fish and game and forestry applications to gather data or pinpoint subjects.

But the FAA hasn't granted private or commercial use of them yet. That's why Idaho aerospace interests believe there's a new frontier out there that could lead to jobs and economic development.

The Idaho Department of Commerce and Batelle Energy Alliance, which operates the Idaho National Laboratory in eastern Idaho, has applied for a 900-square-mile site north of Idaho Falls to be a drone testing center.

The Federal Aviation Administration will announce the six sites by Dec. 31.

"The FAA wants to develop future commercial applications with the same level of safety we have today," Edgar said. "That's why the six test sites are being set up."

Edgar said 57 entities originally applied to be a test site. The list has been pared to 21.

If the Idaho site is chosen, Edgar said it will have a ripple effect in the entire state. A similar scenario has occurred in North Dakota, he added.

"It would help diversify Idaho's economy to help us avoid further ups and downs," he said. "When you bring in a new industry, everybody wins."

Ward said he hopes drone awareness efforts will lead to measurable results for the region because the emerging technology and potential are there.

"People with a passion tend to make things happen," Ward said.

Previous ReportWIC and Spuds
Next ReportTurkeys and Ethanol