Kansas DOT preparing for first flight in federal drone program
Aug. 14, 2018
The inaugural flight of the program will be the state’s first to go beyond the visual line of sight
The Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) this week will begin the state’s first unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) flights as part of its participation in a new federal program aimed at further incorporating drones into U.S. airspace.
KDOT says in a media advisory that it will conduct its inaugural flight of the program—the state’s first to go beyond visual line of sight—at an event near Salina.
It will kick off the state’s participation in the U.S. Department of Transportation’s UAS Integration Pilot Program. KDOT was named in May to the group of 10 participants in that program nationwide.
With a state team that includes more than 30 industry partners, the Kansas portion of the program over the next two years will focus on the use of drones over farms, roads, transmission lines and other infrastructure.
Kansas State University Polytechnic in Salina will fly the inaugural operation. The school in June received the first waiver for a university from the FAA for drone operations that go beyond the line of sight.
