FAA picks drone sites

The Federal Aviation Administration announced Dec. 30 that six organizations in Alaska, Nevada, New York, North Dakota and Virginia, will develop unmanned aerial system test and evaluation sites that will help integrate drones into the nation's air space. The University of Alaska's proposal includes seven climatic zones and test site range locations in Hawaii and Oregon. New York's site at Griffiss International Airport will look into integrating drones into congested airspace. Virginia Tech's proposal includes test ranges over both Virginia and New Jersey. The congressionally-mandated test sites will conduct research into the certification and operational requirements necessary to safely integrate UAS into the national airspace over the next several years. (Source: FAA, 12/30/13) Previous; FAA Roadmap.