Two South Jersey airports have been selected as drone test sites, allowing them to capitalize on an emerging technology that promises to create new jobs and serve as a catalyst for economic development.
Cape May Airport in Lower Township, Cape May County, and Eagles Nest Airport in Eagleswood Township, Ocean County, will be part of testing conducted by a coalition of universities, government agencies and the aviation industry in New Jersey, Virginia and Maryland.
The group, known as the Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership, estimates drone flights could be operational at both airports within two months, pending final approvals by the Federal Aviation Administration.
“We could fly in New Jersey as early as 2 to 2½ months from now, so we’re working on it,” said Rose Mooney, executive director of the partnership.
In December, the New Jersey, Virginia and Maryland consortium was named by the FAA as one of six drone test sites nationwide. However, the selection of the Cape May and Eagles Nest airports as New Jersey’s test areas was not revealed by the Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership until this week.
Cape May County Freeholder Will Morey, an advocate of drone technology, believes the test flights will help Cape May Airport and the surrounding area become a magnet for commercial development.
A study published in March by the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems predicts drone technology could add 70,000 jobs and $13.6 billion in economic activity nationwide between 2015 and 2018. The study also predicts 1,353 jobs added in New Jersey by 2017, with $263 million in economic impact.
“It is a great opportunity,” Morey said of the benefits of drone testing for the Cape May Airport. “It’s an emerging technology, not only for research and development, but also for maintenance and repair companies. With that comes good-quality jobs.”
Peter Weidhorn, owner of Eagles Nest, said he originally pitched his airport as a possible drone test site about two years ago, but was unaware that it had been formally selected.
“I haven’t heard a word.” he said in an interview Thursday. “Nobody has gotten back to us with details in terms of when, where and how.”
Weidhorn , though, welcomed the chance to be involved with a project he hopes will continue the development of his small airport, located in the Pine Barrens about three miles from the coast.
“I think it’s going to give an economic boost to the community,” he said. “It will bring more employees here and give us greater recognition.”
Since taking over the airport six years ago, Weidhorn has invested $4 million in its development. New runway lights and an instrument landing system are being added to attract more aircraft and aviation-related companies.
“Over the last three years, we have gotten a parachute operator and three banner-towing aircraft companies. We now have 40 aircraft based here, compared to zero three years ago,” Weidhorn said. “We’re a thriving, growing airport. We’ve come a long way, and this would be another feather in our cap.”
Eagles Nest’s proximity to the coast as well as the Warren Grove bombing range in Ocean County could optimize the airport’s use as a drone test site. Drones, also known as unmanned aerial systems, are expected to fly out over the ocean for tests.
Warren Grove, used as a bombing site for the New Jersey Air National Guard, has already been experimenting with military drones and may be incorporated with the civilian tests conducted by the Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership, Mooney said.
Talks are planned with the U.S. Department of Defense and FAA to determine whether Warren Grove and the coastal waters near Eagles Nest could be integrated with the airport’s test flights, Mooney added.
Similarly, Cape May Airport’s proximity to the coast has worked in its favor. Before the Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership disclosed Cape May’s selection this week, talks had already begun about using the airport for a separate series of drone tests scheduled this fall by the New Jersey Institute of Technology. NJIT also plans to launch drone flights from the Coast Guard Training Center in Cape May. The university has approvals to conduct drone tests as far out as 14.5 nautical miles over the ocean.
Morey, who has been working with NJIT, said Cape May County is eager for tests to begin this fall, but acknowledged “there’s a lot of hard work to be done.”
“Our goal is to be flying out of Cape May County in October,” Morey said. “It’s an aggressive goal, but our goal nonetheless. We look forward to achieving that.”
FAA Administrator Michael Huerta, during a stop last week in New Jersey, said his agency is pushing to complete the approvals for testing to begin “very, very soon.”
“We feel very, very good about the New Jersey test site,” Huerta said. “It’s a great team. They’ve got a great research agenda, so we’re looking forward to getting them launched very quickly.”
Testing under the New Jersey, Virginia and Maryland partnership will focus on the technology’s potential benefits for agriculture, including using drones to spray crops.
Drone testing nationwide is vital to the FAA’s plans to begin safely integrating the technology into U.S. commercial airspace. The FAA hopes to develop operational guidelines by the end of 2015, a timetable some critics say is unlikely because of the complexities of the effort.
The FAA’s William J. Hughes Technical Center, the aviation research and development facility in Egg Harbor Township, will analyze data collected from all six drone test sites nationwide.
Although drones are more closely associated with military use, the technology’s potential commercial applications are thought to be huge. Photography, law enforcement, border patrol, emergency communications, farming and weather tracking are often mentioned as civilian uses.
The FAA has banned virtually all commercial operation of drones until it develops formal guidelines.
-Source: http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com
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