Jun 25 2014
On June 20, 2014, The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced that the Lone Star UAS Center of Excellence & Innovation, an unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) test site operated by Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi, is authorized to begin conducting research.
The site is one of six selected to support FAA in research that is critical to the safe and effective integration of UAS into the national airspace.
Modern Technology Solutions, Inc. (MTSI) played a leading role in developing the Safety Management System and supporting documentation for the Texas site. Ensuring that a sound safety process and plan are in place was a fundamental element of the approval to commence operations. MTSI will also provide ongoing support to the Lone Star UAS Center of Excellence as the full-time independent safety manager.
“MTSI is proud to have the opportunity to partner with this effort, and affect the UAS safety baseline at a fundamental level,” said Heather Harris, MTSI’s Senior Safety Consultant on the effort. “This work is truly setting the bar for UAS Safety Management System practices for the future.”
“Heather and the team’s outstanding safety work is one example of the broad spectrum of UAS-focused capabilities the company offers. MTSI has a team of engineers dedicated to policy, regulatory, and operational challenges inherent in the integration of UAS into the national airspace,” noted Russ Wolfe, MTSI’s Chief Engineer. MTSI’s UAS work includes development of the DoD’s Unmanned Systems Roadmap, DoD’s UAS Airspace Integration Plan, and the Federal UAS Aviation Rulemaking Committee’s Implementation Plan for Integration of Civil UAS in the NAS. MTSI’s trademarked Sense and Avoid Flight Encounter Simulation Toolset (SAFEST)® provides the capability to analyze critical UAS Sense and Avoid (SAA) issues, the linchpin of UAS NAS integration.