Aerial firefighting demonst.JPG

A unmanned K-MAX cargo helicopter drops water on a fire during an unmanned aerial firefighting demonstration by Lockheed Martin Corp. at Griffiss International Airport in Rome, N.Y., on Nov. 18, 2015.

(NUAIR Alliance)

Syracuse, N.Y. — Up to 500 air traffic management professionals are expected to attend a three-day convention at the Oncenter next month to learn about the latest advances in drones and their integration into the nation's airspace.

UTM (Unmanned Traffic Management) Convention 2016 will be held Nov. 8, 9 and 10. It will kick off with a tour of Griffiss International Airport in the Oneida County city of Rome, one of the FAA's designated test ranges for unmanned aerial systems management.

The second two days of the conference will feature exhibits, speakers and panel discussions at the Oncenter, focusing on current and future unmanned aerial systems traffic management capabilities and challenges.

During the tour at Griffiss, an Indago quadcopter and a Desert Hawk III fixed wing plane, both small drones, and full-size K-MAX and S-76 helicopters will be remotely operated in a demonstration by Lockheed Martin Corp.

The NUAIR Alliance, one of the convention's sponsors, plans to use the event to show off its test facilities at Griffiss, a former Air Force base that has been equipped with special radars and communications systems to detect, identify and track small, low-flying drones that are hard to see with conventional radars and sensors. Based at Griffiss, NUAIR is a coalition of more than 100 private and public entities and academic institutions that are working together to operate unmanned aircraft system test ranges at Griffiss and sites in Massachusetts and Michigan.

The Central New York Regional Economic Development Council has made development of the unmanned aerial systems industry in the region one of the major goals of its plan to revitalize the area's economy. It estimates that 1,300 jobs could be created in Central New York related to research and development, manufacturing, cybersecurity and other aspects of the drone industry.

Robert Simpson, president of CenterState Corporation for Economic Opportunities, another sponsor of the convention, said the drone tracking system at Griffiss gives it an advantage over other test sites. Plans are to eventually expand the system to include a corridor between Rome and Syracuse, providing a much wider area in which unmanned aerial systems can be developed and tested, he said.

The state has provided a $5 million grant and Gryphon Sensors, a part of Cicero-based SRC Inc., is providing $5 million to begin development of the expanded system.

The use of drones is expected to grow rapidly in the coming years because of their many potential uses, including search and rescue, disaster relief, media, inspection of rail and power lines, mail and freight transport, and crop surveillance.



However, a major challenge to the industry is the development of systems to safely integrate drones into the nation's airspace. Unlike manned aircraft, drones do not have a pilot to watch out for other aircraft.



Other sponsors of the convention are the Air Traffic Controllers Association, the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International, Empire State Development Corp., Onondaga County, Oneida County and Syracuse University.

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