Category: UAS (Aircraft)

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KDOT selected for UAS integration pilot program

Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao May 9 selected the Kansas Department of Transportation to participate in the department’s new Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration Pilot Program.

This program will pair the Federal Aviation Administration, KDOT and private sector participants to collect invaluable data on how to safely integrate drones in the national airspace, and help state, local and tribal governments partner with private sector drone operators and manufacturers to expedite drone integration nationwide.

Under the program, KDOT plans to deploy UAS to support beyond visual line of sight operations in rural communities. It seeks to leverage a statewide, unmanned traffic management system to facilitate precision agriculture operations.

Praxis Aerospace Concepts International Incorporated (PACI) is pleased to announce our participation with the Kansas UAS IPP team supporting with a  wide variety of services and experience to participants interested in safe integration of Unmanned Systems.

Read the full article from the High Plains Journal here . Additional coverage from AUVSI may be found here.

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UAV Industries launches South Africa’s first accredited Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) Training

UAV Industries, a leading commercial drone pilot training and operations company, has announced the launch of its accredited Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) Training Course, open to all drone pilots in possession of a valid Remote Pilot Licence (RPL). First to market in Africa, the B-VLOS training course is endorsed by both the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SA CAA) and the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).

PACI and PACInc instructors traveled to Capetown, South Africa last year to attend UAVI’s intensive training program. As the only US company with both SA CAA Remote Pilot Instructors with BVLOS endorsements, and a Part 107 BVLOS waiver for Training, PACI congratulates UAVI’s success and welcomes the opportunity to partner even more in the future. 

Read the article from SUASNews online here.

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FlightSafety Jumps Into UAS Training

FlightSafety International has jumped into the UAS pool. The aviation training company announced Thursday that it will begin offering “a wide variety” of unmanned systems training programs for commercial operators. FlightSafety said it is developing standard and platform-specific courses for both seasoned operators and those who have no prior experience and will work closely with operators on customized course development to create programs tailored to their specific needs.

The courses will be taught by qualified instructors and offered online through FlightSafety’s advanced eLearning system, onsite at FlightSafety learning centers, or at customer facilities. The courses will meet standards that have been set by the FAA, ICAO, the AUVSI trusted operator program and other leading agencies and organizations.

For more information here

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Editor’s Corner—Private wireless networks are quietly becoming a thing (Fierce Wireless)

For years now, a number of wireless players have been promising that there is demand among enterprises and others for private wireless networks. The argument is that utilities, cities, manufacturing companies and others have specific applications that can’t or shouldn’t run over public wireless networks, and so they will need to build their own networks—and will spend money to do it.

Specifically, Praxis Aerospace Concepts International (PACI) said it inked a long-term lease for Access Spectrum’s Upper 700 MHz A Block in remote locations in Nevada, Arizona and Utah. Jonathan Daniels, PACI’s CEO, said the company will use the spectrum to fly drones.

“I’m pretty excited,” Daniels said.

Turns out there’s some reason to be excited. The Federal Aviation Administration generally doesn’t allow drone pilots to fly the gadgets into places where they can’t see them. But Daniels said PACI is one of only a handful of companies that has obtained authorization from the FAA to conduct “non line of sight” flying, largely due to the company’s use of 700 MHz spectrum that won’t suffer from interference from other users. That means that PACI’s pilots will be able to install cameras on their drones and fly the drones by watching the real-time video (transmitted over PACI’s 700 MHz network) from the cameras.

“It gets us a longer string for our telephone,” Daniels said of the 700 MHz spectrum PACI is leasing from Access Spectrum. He said he expects the drones to be able to fly 30 to 50 miles using the system.

Daniels said PACI is already in the process of building a wireless network for its drone flights, and is considering LTE and other wireless network technologies. He declined to name the company’s equipment vendors. He added that PACI plans to use the drones to conduct power line and solar farm surveys in the areas, as well as to offer drone flying classes for aspiring pilots.

Read the original story from Fierce Wireless here

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PACI Approved for Commercial BVLOS UAS Operations 

(March 28, 2018 – Henderson, NV) Praxis Aerospace Concepts International (PACI), a leading developer of droneports and unmanned systems services, has received a Part 107 waiver from the Federal Aviation Administration to operate UAS beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS).

“We are absolutely thrilled to be the first Nevada company to receive permission to fly commercial BVLOS. This is a major step over the hurdle for the commercial UAS industry. This will open up many opportunities for businesses already anchored here and those corporations who want to start-up here at our Searchlight Airpark facility,” says Jonathan Daniels, CEO of PACI.

PACI has received multiple other waivers and authorizations, which include <1200’ AGL along the world’s longest civil UAS corridor through the Eldorado Valley, night operations nationally and both day and night within the Las Vegas Class B.

While the FAA-Designated UAS Test Sites have been conducting BVLOS operations for test purposes in the past years, such as the recent NASA UTM TCL 3 activities, federal law prohibits these experiments from commercial activity for compensation or hire.

PACI joins the only ten companies within the US allowed to offer BVLOS for professional aerial work.

Read the article from JD Supra online here.
Additional coverage on this story by AUVSI is available here

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Aviation safety experts focus on heliport safety, altitude integration, weather gathering and UAS

Last week more than 50 aviation safety professionals and leaders from industry and government came together in Washington DC for this year’s USHST Infrastructure Summit.

The summit is designed as an industry and government collaborative effort comprised of groups that are involved with; impacted by; have federal, state or local regulatory oversite, jurisdiction and/or enforcement of; or provide general advisory/council on:

  • Heliport Safety, Standardization, Education and Oversight
  • Low Altitude IFR Infrastructure Design and Integration
  • Aviation Weather Gathering, Dissemination and Reporting

“With all the current discussions on Capitol Hill about improving and upgrading the U.S.’s infrastructure, aviation absolutely must be a part of that discussion,” said Rex Alexander, one of the coordinators for the Summit. “A properly designed low-level infrastructure will be critical to providing a harmonious airspace for all of the current and future users looking to conduct business in the NAS. With the current and continued influx of UAS, drone and VTOL aircraft coming into the market, setting up a well thought out foundation now will be vital for ensuring safety and accessibility for all parties.”

Participants in this year’s summit included representatives from: Association of Air Medical Services, Association of Critical Care Transport, American Helicopter Society International, Airbus Helicopters, Air Medical Operators Association, Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, American Society of Testing & Materials Int., Bell Helicopter, Boston MedFlight, Department of the Interior, Federal Aviation Administration, Helicopter Association International, HeliExperts International LLC, Hughes Aerospace Corp., Leonardo Helicopters, Levitate Capital, LifeFlight of Maine, Protean LLC, Maryland State Police Aviation Command, National Association of State Aviation Officials, National Center for Atmospheric Research, National EMS Pilots Association, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Transportation Safety Board, Praxis Aerospace Concepts International, Inc., Radio Technical Commission for Aeronautics, Uber Technologies, University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Forest Service, and U.S. Helicopter Safety Team.

The original press release from United States Helicopter Safety Team and more information can be found here.

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PACInc as subcontractor to Battlespace Flight Services on 3-year Army RQ-7B Shadow NET contract

Praxis Aerospace Concepts Incorporated (PACInc) is pleased to announce a subcontract to Battlespace Flight Services on a three-year task order supporting the US Army Tactical Unmanned Aircraft Systems Project Office (TUAS PO) for RQ-7Bv2 Shadow New Equipment Training (NET).

As a part of the AASKI Technology, Inc.  team, we will support the Army and the Army National Guard in their transition from Shadow RQ-7Bv1 to RQ-7B-v2 systems at multiple locations throughout the United States.

“This is our first win with PACInc as a training and services company,” says Jonathan Daniels, Chief Executive Officer for PACInc, “We are very glad to start 2018 in such a strong manner and look forward to working with our teammates on this and other projects.”

The original and full article from AASKI can be found here.

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PACI Expands Training with Acquisition of Unmanned Experts’ (UMEX) Training Portfolio

(January 7, 2018 – Henderson, NV)

Praxis Aerospace Concepts International (PACI), best known in the unmanned systems industry for its White Label™, Systems Reliability Analysis/Ranking™ and boutique consulting services, today announced that it has acquired the training portfolio of global UAS education leader Unmanned Experts, Inc (UMEX), complementing its own innovation initiatives to expand its current offerings and accelerate the roadmap for the PACI family of companies.

Keven Gambold, CEO for UMEX, commented “As UMEX shifts focus to its commercial flight operations and consultancy business lines, it is tremendous to know that our world-leading training capability is in the hands of experts in the unmanned community. Praxis continues to cut the cloth for UAS training and regulations in the US and abroad. We wish them every success.”

“UMEX’s suite of courseware and robust learning management system enhances PACI’s portfolio of multimodal robotics training,” added Jonathan Daniels, CEO for PACI. “Together with our recently updated public safety and military curriculum, the expanded portfolio completes our commercial product line by providing an unparalleled capacity with a decidedly international flair.”

Unmanned Experts’ products and capabilities, which include online and instructor-led courses on aviation fundamentals, Part 107 knowledge preparation, ICAO-compliant RPA instruction and telecommunications infrastructure specializations, strengthen PACI’s excellent reputation and portfolio of proprietary techniques, methods, procedures, and protocols. Financial details of the acquisition were not disclosed.

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AUVSI Announces Trusted Operator Program (TOP)

The Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) today announced the appointment of leading industry stakeholders to serve on a steering committee and as brand ambassadors who will develop the Trusted Operator Program (TOP) for remote pilots and unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) training organizations.

The TOP, which AUVSI launched in November, is a UAS community initiative to facilitate best practices, codes of conduct and professionalism for operators of services provided by UAS, also known as drones.

PACI, an AUVSI organizational member, is a participant in both the Remote Pilots’ Council and the Trusted Operator Program. Our CEO was selected as the Chair of the TOP Steering Committee.

The original press release from AUVSI and more information can be found here.

Additional articles can be found on in Drone Life and in Aero-News Network.

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Nevada developing global renown for drone research

Developing flight-time and education requirements is key to the future of the industry, said Art Eggers, applied technology professor at the College of Southern Nevada.

“We offer a two-year applied science degree in engineering technology,” Eggers said. “We are interested in potentially partnering with Nevada State to create a four-year degree. I can’t put everything into my two-year degree. If I can turn it into a three-plus-one (with Nevada State) … I can add those advanced elements as the technology grows and build it into a four-year degree program.”

Creating more internships is also essential for the industry to grow its workforce in the state, Jonathan Daniels, consultant, educator and researcher for Henderson-based Praxis Aerospace said.

“I’ve had nine interns, seven from UNLV and two from CSN, I love them, they’re my favorite people to work with,” Daniels said. “I was heartbroken when our top intern got pulled by NASA … We couldn’t talk her out of it — it was NASA!”

Nevada has developed a global reputation for its drone industry, Daniels said. “Some of that is tied to military, but in the last five years some of that has shifted toward commercial as well,” he said.

With that reputation and several other advantages the state offers, Daniels said there is no shortage of tech companies wanting to come here and test out their latest advancement.

“We have some great natural resources and weather here,” he said. “We also have some fantastic infrastructure related to wireless and our airports.”

Read the full article from the Las Vegas Sun here .