discussion 

( Despite all of the regulations against UAS at airports, many airports in the U.S. and around the world are using UAS for airport operations. Find an example of an airport using UAS for airport operations and share your findings. How is this airport using UAS? How is it improving operations at that airport? )

Pewer 1

 The Golden Triangle Regional Airport in Columbus Mississippi is one of the many airports that have adopted the use of unmanned aerial vehicles for airport operations. Having the technological advantage of a bird’s eye view of the airport is a unique advantage to the sponsor or municipality. “The Golden Triangle Regional Airport has used drones to examine buildings, rooftops, parking lots, security fencing, windsocks, safety areas, signage and even taxiway and runway markings (Guillot, B. & Dowell, M., 2019)”. Some UAVs also have the availability of infrared, low light, and thermal vision. These models are extremely useful in aiding with wildlife hazard assessments and in nocturnal security investigations on airport property.In similar fashion, the NTSB has adopted the use of drones when investigating accident sites on the airfield. “We first got involved with unmanned aircraft back in 2006 on the other end, when we were investigating an MQ-9 Predator crash in Arizona. That brought the whole idea of unmanned aircraft to the forefront for us (Karpowicz, J., 2017)”. The use of UAV technology allows for a rapid aerial observation of the crash site. This can help investigators to quickly film the site and assist with accident investigation. It also increases the safety of operations around the critical area by identifying potential threats such as pooling aircraft fluids or smoldering fires.

Peer 2:

     I found this topic interesting and was eager to research the topic. When the FAA was searching for airports to do this research, Huntsville had to plead its case in why they would be a good choice. But first, what was the research the FAA was looking for? The FAA stated, “The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) today selected five host airports to evaluate technologies and systems that could detect and mitigate potential safety risks posed by unmanned aircraft” (FAA, 2021). What better way to mitigate safety risks than getting the best view possible and that would be from an aerial view. There was a couple of reason why the FAA choose Huntsville for research and they are the FAA UAS Center of Excellence for Research, DARPA programs Gremlins and Mobile Force Protection, US Air Force MEDUSA, US Army UAS Detection, and Mitigation Testing along with Threat development, FBI TEDAC, Global War on Terrorism and UAS Research/Training Facilities, US Army Future Vertical Lift Program, and Medium Altitude Endurance Program, Small UAS Product Office. (Fly Huntsville, 2021). With the five airports that are involved with this research and development, the process will continue on through the year 2023. During this time frame, proper research will be developed and provide details that will further advance our airport’s capabilities. Huntsville makes for a great location for a multitude of activities of civilian and military events. As we move forward, UAS will be a vital asset for most airports to ensure all safety and security risks are being supervised.