In the news - Oregon Public Broadcasting cover story on Oregon UAV

Oregon Public Broadcasting News Story on Central Oregon UAV

Check out the linked news message about the Central Oregon UAV Area

Why Central Oregon is Ideal for UAV Test Area

Available Airspace Over Public Land 

• Like other western states, Oregon has a sizable public land base, with approximately 53 percent of its 61 million acres in federal lands.

• While Central Oregon was a crucial training area in the World War II.  Klamath Falls, Pendleton, Madras, Redmond, and Bend all had Air Force training bases.  The Military Operation Areas present in Oregon in some measure owe their presence to these former military operations.

• The Area of Consideration is in land that hosts a population density of less than 3 people per square mile, officially classified as Frontier.   Under the Juniper MOA, an area the size of Connecticut, the total population numbers less than 100 people.    

Flying Weather  

• Central Oregon has been noted first in the siting of the World War II Air Force training bases and secondly in the Chamber of commerce tag line of "300 Days of Sunshine per year" as a good place to fly.  Central Oregon also provides challenges related to weather,  in that all seasons can be represented and potentially can be represented in the same day.   

ATC Control and Lack of an Active Military Base  

• The selected area of operation is under exclusive control of Seattle Center which allows singular control over the affected airspace and control.

•  Oregon hosts  NO ACTIVE AIR FORCE BASES  so military transits and operations are primarily the Oregon AIr National Guard..   

People 

• Central Oregon was home to a thriving aviation industry  employing over 2000 people.  These employees are skilled in:
• Aircraft Design
• Aircraft Manufacture
• Aircraft Operation 
• Aircraft Maintenance and Modification

• A large and untapped talent pool exists in the community.  Less than 10% of the employee base in aviation is presently involved in the manufacture of aircraft and aircraft systems today.   Manufacturing jobs typically employee a community base of 3 times a factories employment.  This represents over 5000 jobs lost to in the Central Oregon community.     A huge opportunity to tap into this resource exists for companies willing to look into Central Oregon.

Moving forward on FAA reauthorization bill - US Congress Blog

Moving forward on FAA reauthorization bill

By Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D- N.H.) - 02/15/11 12:28 PM ET

We have big challenges we need to address to help American businesses, large and small, remain competitive in an increasingly global economy.

One of the biggest challenges we face is our declining infrastructure. Business needs a safe, reliable transportation infrastructure to keep the flow of commerce moving.

But, as President Obama mentioned in his State of the Union address, when American engineers took a look at our transportation infrastructure, they graded it as a “D”.

Our declining infrastructure threatens not only our safety, but also our global economic competitiveness. America is falling behind economic competitors like Europe and China, which are making significantly more robust investments in their infrastructure.

In the United States, we spend about 2 percent of GDP on infrastructure, which is a 50 percent decline from 1960. China and Europe, on the other hand, spend close to 9 percent and 5 percent of GDP on infrastructure, respectively.

We need to make the kind of smart investments that will help keep America competitive.

Congressional Blog - See the remainder of this Blog

Predicted Growth of UAV's in the US

Given the rapid growth of UAS operations for governmental purposes, there appears to be tremendous potential for U.S. industry in the evolving commercial UAS sector. However, it is extremely difficult to determine actual commercial market size in light of the many regulatory and technological obstacles to be overcome before UAS can be integrated into civilian air space. Various studies have been conducted regarding the future market opportunities for civil UAS sales worldwide.

 Many analysts are bullish on market growth, although there is wide variance in views about the actual market size, which range from a healthy 10-15 percent per year to order of magnitude growth in civil market opportunities. According to a 2010 market study by the Teal Group, the current UAS market will more than double in the next decade: worldwide UAS Research, Development, Test & Evaluation (RDT&E) and procurement expenditures are expected to increase from $4.9 billion in 2010 to over $11.5 billion in 2019.54 The study suggests that the U.S. will account for 76% of RDT&E spending on UAS technology over the next decade and 58% of the procurement.  Finally, the study predicts that UAS demand will be highest in the U.S., with Europe representing the second largest market, followed closely by Asia-Pacific.

US Commerce Department

In the News again

KTVZ Report

The Oregon UAV test area receives some local attention

Senate passes the FAA Reauthorization Bill

An important tenant for the Central Oregon efforts to build a UAV test area took a step forward last week

While our Senator asked for 10 areas the bill that passed the Senate included 6 areas Senator Wyden Video

This is important as some areas have a leg up -  Southern California, New Mexico, Kansas

North Dakota and Oklahoma are making a big pitch to have these areas located in their state

Oregon has to do a better job - we have the resources  -  We have the talent pool and we have the public
land

Oregon UAV Test Area - "IN THE NEWS"

Oregonian

KATU

Bend CEO -

Pilot Concerns

Benefit to Central Oregon

What is the short-term benefit to Central Oregon for having a UAV test area?

Short term, we expect ten to twelve companies to take advantage of the test area.

Test crews would come here every weekend or so on a rotating basis. This would be a nice increment for the region’s lodging and restaurant businesses.

Companies are likely to rent spaces from which to stage flights.

Local testing will create exposure and business opportunities for the half-dozen local companies:

Lancair http://www.lancair.com/Main/

Outback Manufacturing http://www.outbackmfg.com/

Windward Performance http://www.windward-performance.com/

Hatch Product Development http://www.hatchpd.com/

Companies that are already working in the field.

It is likely to bring related companies such as those that train crews to fly drones.

We are engaging the FAA on the national level will help establish Central Oregon as a player in the UAV field.

We have the the following:

• Remote Airspace over lands designated "Frontier" less than 1 person per square mile
• No Active Military Bases in Oregon - No Restricted Airspace
• Population Hubs are located on the periphery but not in the proposed area
• Single ATC Control - Seattle Center
• The Northwest US is the area designated for UAV development

Oregon UAV Test Area

1. Why do we need a test area for unmanned aerial vehicles?

Unmanned aerial systems (UAS or drones) are the future of aviation, but there is a critical shortage of areas where they can be tested safely.

As one of the few high-growth areas in aviation—or any industry—unmanned aerial systems are being constrained by an inability to test the vehicles as they are developed.

There are lengthy and costly delays as manufacturers wait for open testing slots.

Special certificates can be obtained for test purposes, but they are costly and time consuming.

A better solution is for the country to designate more test areas where drones can fly safely away from other traffic.

Senator Wyden of Oregon has proposed just that