Al Palmer, the head of UNDʼs unmanned aircraft research center, can talk pretty fast, but ask him how his industry is doing here in the Grand Forks region and it takes him two hours over two interviews to get everything out.
By: Tu-Uyen Tran, Grand Forks Herald
Al Palmer, the head of UNDʼs unmanned aircraft research center, can talk pretty fast, but ask him how his industry is doing here in the Grand Forks region and it takes him two hours over two interviews to get everything out.
Where does he even start?
From progress toward a test site where unmanned and manned aircraft can mix safely — critical for research and development — to a training contract with a European air force, to partnerships with North Dakota State University and businesses, Palmer ticked off one after another.
Others in the industry had plenty to say, too, mentioning the growing interest of major unmanned aircraft makers, emerging local businesses and maturing research programs. One UND project to use unmanned aircraft in precision agriculture is scheduled for real world testing at some area farms this summer.
“We have the start of an unmanned aircraft system cluster in Grand Forks,” said Chamber of Commerce President Barry Wilfahrt. He said he expects testing and training would emerge as key sectors.
Recently, the state Aeronautics Commission estimated that the unmanned aircraft industry had a $27.1 million economic impact and employed 231 statewide in 2010, mostly in Grand Forks. Thereʼs still room to grow, but the industry here has come pretty far since it started essentially from scratch a few year ago.
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