First UAV Test Flight For Alaskan Site

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The Pan-Pacific Unmanned Aircraft Systems Test Range Complex at the University of Alaska Fairbanks was established last year to help the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) develop regulations and certifications for unmanned aircraft operators and equipment. The goal is to integrate them into the National Airspace System.

Earlier this week, an Aeryon Scout mini quadcopter was the first UAV to be tested at the range. The range is the second of six UAV test sites to receive an FAA’s Certificate of Authorization. According to HLS News Wire the Scout climbed to 200 feet as a crowd of about fifty people silently watched its inaugural flight under the gray overcast sky at Fairbanks, Alaska.

iHLS – Israel Homeland Security

It was a historic first for the University of Alaska Fairbanks, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and unmanned aircraft operations. The FAA had granted operational status to the Pan-Pacific Unmanned Aircraft Systems Test Range Complex. Minutes after the announcement, Scout operator Mike Cook took the aircraft to the sky in Fairbanks, the first test mission flight among the six FAA-chosen test sites.