FAA picks 6 states for drone testing sites
By Blake Neff
December 30, 2013, 11:48 am
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Monday announced that it
will create a network of testing sites across the U.S. for Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS),
better known as “drones."
The testing sites, in Alaska, Nevada, New York, North Dakota, Texas and Virginia, will
be a crucial step toward the commercial use of drones over U.S. airspace,
which currently remains unauthorized. The FAA announced in November that it
hopes to establish guidelines for commercial usage by the end of 2015.
Though currently a province of the
military and law enforcement, both businesses and local governments have shown
some interest in domestic drone usage. Most prominently, Internet retailer
Amazon Inc. turned heads earlier this month when it announced tentative plans
to deliver parcels to buyers via unmanned drones.
The six states chosen will allow
the FAA to test across a wide variety of climates, and the New York site will look into safely
incorporating drones into the crowded airspace of the Northeast.
Lawmakers from selected states
were quick to praise the selections. Sen. Dean Heller (R-Nev.) said the choice
of Nevada
would add jobs to his economically beleaguered state.
“Considering that Nevada continues to lead
the nation in unemployment, the FAA’s decision is both welcome and well-timed. Nevada has long been a
leader in UAS development and testing.”
Meanwhile, Sen. John Hoeven
(R-N.D.) said the site located at Grand Forks Air Force Base would make his
state “the premier northern hub for unmanned aerial systems.” North
Dakota’s legislature has already approved $5 million in funding
for a new aerospace complex in Grand
Forks that will be built around the test site.
FAA Administrator Michael Huerta emphasized safety as a
top priority in the agency's work to legalize drones and expressed confidence
in their eventual success.
“We have successfully brought new
technology into the nation’s aviation system for more than 50 years, and I have
no doubt we will do the same with unmanned aircraft,” he said.
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
Michael P. Huerta
is the administrator for the Federal
Aviation Administration (FAA), and was the group president for Affiliated Computer Services Inc.
Note: Kurt R. Krauss was
a director at the Affiliated Computer
Services Inc., and a partner at Booz
Allen Hamilton.
Booz Allen
Hamilton is a contractor for the National
Security Agency (NSA).
Edward Snowden
leaked information about the National
Security Agency (NSA), and was an employee for Booz Allen Hamilton.
Robert S. Osborne
is the EVP & general counsel for Booz
Allen Hamilton, and a member of the Commercial
Club of Chicago.
R.
Eden Martin is the president of the Commercial
Club of Chicago, and counsel at Sidley
Austin LLP.
Kathryn B.
Thomson was a partner at Sidley
Austin LLP, counselor for Ray H.
LaHood, is married to Christopher P.
Lu, and the chief counsel for the Federal
Aviation Administration (FAA).
Ray
H. LaHood’s counselor was Kathryn B.
Thomson, and is the transportation secretary for the Barack Obama administration.
Christopher P. Lu
is married to Kathryn B. Thomson,
the White House cabinet secretary for the Barack
Obama administration, was Barack
Obama’s legislative director, and a litigation associate for Sidley Austin LLP.
Michelle
Obama was a lawyer at Sidley Austin
LLP.
Barack
Obama was an intern at Sidley Austin
LLP.
Newton
N. Minow is a senior counsel at Sidley
Austin LLP, and a member of the Commercial
Club of Chicago.
Commercial Club of Chicago,
Members Directory A-Z (Past Research)
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
W. James
McNerney Jr. is a member of the Commercial
Club of Chicago, and the chairman & president & CEO for the Boeing Company.
Barbara G. Fast
was a VP at the Boeing Company, and
a VP for the CGI Group Inc.
CGI Group Inc.
was the Obamacare contractor that
developed Healthcare.gov web site.
Obamacare
is Barack Obama’s signature policy
initiative.
Donna
S. Morea was the EVP for the CGI
Group Inc., and a trustee at the Committee
for Economic Development.
Foundation
to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Committee for Economic Development, and the Center for American Progress.
George
Soros is the chairman for the Foundation
to Promote Open Society, and was a supporter for the Center for American Progress.
T. Allan McArtor
is a trustee at the Committee for
Economic Development, and was the administrator for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
Tom Daschle is a director at the Center for American Progress, married
to Linda H. Daschle, and a 2008 Bilderberg conference
participant (think tank).
Linda H. Daschle
is married to Tom Daschle, was the deputy
administrator for the Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA), and a senior public policy adviser for Baker Donelson Bearman Caldwell.
Baker
Donelson Bearman Caldwell was a lobby firm for the Boeing Company.
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