Nevada agency temporarily clips funds, staff for drone program
The state agency that funds Nevada’s unmanned aerial systems program has temporarily cut funding and staffing until the Federal Aviation Administration can catch up to the state’s pace.
Economic Development Director Steve Hill told the Nevada Institute of Autonomous Systems board on Monday that the state is reassigning three of the six employees dedicated to the civilian drone program and trimming the division’s monthly budget from $140,000 to $75,000.
The reason: The state geared up to move quickly when it was named one of six states to perform commercial drone testing in the FAA’s bid to mix unmanned aircraft into U.S. airspace by the end of September.
But the state has found it’s taking considerably longer for the federal agency to draft regulations and approve programs that Nevada is already prepared to undertake. Rather than devote resources to programs that are on hold, state officials opted to ramp down the program and allow the FAA to catch up. State officials hope to resume previous funding levels by the middle of the year.
The company contracted to operate the state’s program management office, Bowhead Systems and Technology Group, also is expected to reassign personnel as a temporary measure.
Four sites have been identified for drone testing in the state, including Boulder City Airport south of Las Vegas. The FAA has been working to develop separate rules for small unmanned craft that would enable the state to identify other remote locations where smaller vehicles could be tested.
Rules were expected to be published last year, but those have been delayed.
Although the granting of certificates of authorization has slowed, the board overseeing the state’s commercial drone testing program on behalf of the governor’s economic development office voted unanimously Monday to proceed on an education program that would teach student pilots to fly unmanned aircraft, focusing on the safety and regulatory aspects of their systems.
Don Cunningham of Bowhead said the company is within weeks of approving a request for proposals for introductory unmanned systems training at an unspecified indoor venue. The proposal is to offer a three-day seminar for middle school, high school and college-level students interested in pursuing unmanned systems careers.
Cunningham said he hopes to have events in both Southern and Northern Nevada that would draw up to 100 students who would pay $1,000 to $1,200 for the seminar that would include purchase of a small quadcopter drone.
Cunningham said if the seminars prove popular they could be conducted as often as every other month and attract students from out of state as well as from Nevada. He expects the first class to be formed by early April.
In another matter, Cunningham told the board that the Bowhead and the FAA have completed their review of the high-profile crash of Sensurion Aerospace’s Magpie, the company’s flagship unmanned vehicle.
Before a gathering of about 50 dignitaries and media in a clearing near the Copper Mountain Sempra Solar plant about 20 miles southwest of Boulder City on Dec. 18, the vehicle was hand-launched and plummeted to the desert floor seconds after it left a Sensurion executive’s hands.
The incident was classified as an “aborted takeoff” and not an air accident or incident worthy of greater FAA scrutiny.
Sensurion officials said a malfunctioning transistor resulted in the aircraft losing power.
Two hours before the demonstration flight recorded by videographers, the Magpie flew for about 10 minutes.
Despite the mishap, the event was deemed a success because it was the first drone flight under the state’s designation as a test facility.
Contact reporter Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893. Find him on Twitter: @RickVelotta.
