Sunday, February 6, 2011

Let the Drones Fly Forth

Here's an interesting idea to help jump start the Central Oregon economy. A drone flight test corridor is being proposed for an area roughly bounded by Bend to the west, Burns to the east, and Lakeview to the south. Drone testing can be difficult because of crowded skies around urban areas - running a drone into a 737 or a Cessna is not a great idea.  Some private pilots are concerned about conflicts, but having driven throughout the area of the proposed corridor I can say with certainty that there ain't much out there and conflicts would be minimal. It should be possible to negotiate the boundaries to satisfy everybody. Bringing in aerospace companies from all over to test their UAVs could be a real economic boon to Bend and other Central Oregon communities. Oregon could do worse than being known as an aerospace test center.

 www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2011/02/central_oregon_airspace_targeted_for_start-up_drone_testing_plans_but_idea_worries_private_pilots.html

No comments:

Post a Comment