Grand Sky is a UAS (unmanned aerial systems)-specific business and aviation park located at Grand Forks Air Force Base near Grand Forks, North Dakota. A groundbreaking for the development was held in September 2015, making it the first UAS business and aviation park in the U.S.[1] The park consists of 217 acres and includes access to the Grand Forks Air Force Base runway for large UAS flights.[2][better source needed]
Tenants
editInitial tenants at Grand Sky include General Atomics Aeronautical Systems and Northrop Grumman. Northrop Grumman was the first tenant to begin construction at the park. The company broke ground for a 36,000-square-foot facility in October 2015 to be used for research, training and operations. Northrop Grumman makes the Global Hawk, a large UAS that is also flown by the military at Grand Forks Air Force Base.
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems conducted the first large UAS flight at the park, a launch and recovery of a Predator A aircraft, in July 2016.[3] The company operates a UAS Flight Training Academy at the park[4] and graduated its first class of aircrews on Aug. 12, 2016.[5]
Future development
editIn December 2016, Grand Forks-based EdgeData LLC signed a letter of intent to construct a 16,000-square-foot data center at Grand Sky which will offer data storage for tenants at the park. Data collection and distribution is expected to be a significant factor in the commercial use of UAS.[6]
Also in December 2016, the Federal Aviation Administration granted approval to the Northern Plains UAS Test Site to conduct beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) flights from Grand Sky. It is the first location in the U.S. to receive approval for BVLOS flights and allows for greater support of testing, development and evaluation of UAS technologies.[7]
References
edit- ^ Jewett, Brandi (10 September 2015). "Groundbreaking on Grand Sky project represents years of preparation". Grand Forks Herald.
- ^ "Prairie Business".
- ^ Prasek, Kayla. "General Atomics Completes First Flight at Grand Sky".
- ^ Cohen, Dan (2 August 2016). "General Atomics Opens UAS Training Academy at Grand Forks AFB – Association of Defense Communities". defensecommunities.org. Archived from the original on 14 February 2017. Retrieved 13 February 2017.
- ^ Miller, Patrick C. (1 September 2016). "Training academy graduates first General Atomics aircrews". UAS Magazine.
- ^ Miller, Patrick C. (8 December 2016). "EdgeData planning world-class data center at Grand Sky". UAS Magazine.
- ^ Plaza, Juan (30 January 2017). "Beyond Visual Line of Sight Operations: The Next Target for FAA Regulation". Commercial UAV News. Archived from the original on 5 February 2017. Retrieved 13 February 2017.