GA-friendly drone management
UND partners with Vigilant Aerospace to manage UAS traffic
The University of North Dakota’s John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences formed a partnership with Vigilant Aerospace Systems to improve airspace safety through the management of uncrewed aircraft systems.
Under the agreement, UND will have access to Vigilant’s FlightHorizon airspace management system and drone safety software. Vigilant also will provide training for UND Aerospace students and faculty, and help complete the integration of FlightHorizon into the UND program’s operations by this summer.
The one-year collaboration agreement comes as the FAA prepares to release new rules for BVLOS drone operations. The program also addresses a number of AOPA concerns including the sharing of airspace between UAS and certain general aviation aircraft operating without electrical systems and thus without ADS-B. AOPA has pushed back for years against proposals that would require ADS-B for GA aircraft not currently required to have it or would grant right of way to UAS over GA aircraft in certain situations.
UND Aerospace said the partnership reflects its commitment to UAS traffic management, which is “increasingly relevant in light of recent drone sightings near critical infrastructure in New Jersey.”
Paul Snyder, director of UND’s UAS program, said FlightHorizon complements UND’s UAS technology, which includes 360-degree cameras for day and night operation and radar systems made by the U.S.-based company DeTect Inc.
“The software that Vigilant Aerospace provides can easily integrate with the hardware that we’re using and will create a common operating picture that enables us to fuse hardware and data from DeTect radars and other sensors into one screen,” Snyder said.
“UND Aerospace educates some of the nation’s most competitive aviation and UAS students and is one of the most accomplished and best equipped research centers for autonomous aviation in the country,” said Kraettli L. Epperson, CEO of Vigilant Aerospace. “We are excited to be entering into this new collaboration to support their operational and educational missions and advance the industry overall.”
