As more drones take to the skies, droneports will become a thing
Posted by Adele Scholl on 1/7/2016 to
By David Pierini •
Rendering of the Eldorado Droneport. Photo: The Aerodrome
The Aerodrome, a non-profit
in unmanned aircraft education, has partnered with Boulder City, Nevada
to develop the droneport. The 50-acre site about 28 miles from the Las
Vegas Strip is already partially operational but won’t be complete until
2018.
By
that time, the unmanned aircraft industry will be exploding in growth.
It is projected to be $82 billion industry by 2025 and generate more
than 100,000 high-paying jobs, according to a report on the Lumoid Blog.
The Aerodrome Eldorado Droneport is one of six FAA-approved test sites in the U.S. for commercial drone facilities.
While
the droneport will be open to the public, providing lessons to
recreational users on how to fly unmanned aircraft, it will also serve
as a training ground for those jobs expected to be created by businesses
developing commercial drone programs. There are currently 2,500
companies in the U.S. with FAA exemptions to fly commercial drones.
Uses
could include aerial photography, like from news organizations, to
delivery of goods, like Amazon, which seeking to bring drone delivery to
its customers over the next few years. This droneport’s proximity to
Las Vegas could be a good proving ground for various commercial uses for
drone aircraft.
“Unmanned air systems are inherently different
from manned aircraft and require a whole new type of expertise in order
to be executed safely,” Jonathan Daniels, president of The Aerodrome,
said in a press release.
“This historic development has far-reaching implications, and will
bring it new aviation business opportunities, jobs and a profound new
reputation for the U.S. as the world’s leader in Unmanned Air Systems.
The FAA instituted a new regulation for recreational drone pilots, requiring them to register
with the federal government in part to raise awareness in new flight
rules, which include avoiding flight within five miles of an airport and
flying no higher than 400 feet in the air.
Drone aircraft weighing more than a half pound, including with payload, like a camera, must register by Feb. 19.
