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Wilmington area is potential UAV test site for Turner's proposal

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By John Nolan, Staff Writer Updated 10:57 PM Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Two southwest Ohio locations, including the Wilmington area, could be set aside as airspace for flight-testing of increasingly sophisticated unmanned aircraft if a proposal by U.S. Rep. Mike Turner gets congressional support.

Leaders of Dayton’s business and technology communities, along with the Air Force, say that establishing air space dedicated to unmanned aerial vehicle flight-testing in the region is a key to encouraging growth of UAV research and development expertise in this area.

Turner, R-Centerville, said the Air Force Research Laboratory has identified as a potential site the Wilmington Air Park, which cargo delivery company DHL is preparing to donate to the Clinton County Port Authority as soon as next week. The AFRL also has looked at the Buckeye and Brush Creek military operating area in rural Adams and Highland counties as a site, Turner said. Turner, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, said the committee approved his proposal directing Defense Secretary Robert Gates to report on opportunities to use the Sensors Center of Excellence at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base to integrate unmanned aircraft into the national airspace system.

“The Air Force Research Lab is the natural place to locate this research program, and the Wilmington area offers an ideal test and development site,” said Turner, whose congressional district includes the base and Wilmington.

Wilmington was economically devastated by the 2009 closing of DHL’s U.S. freight hub at Wilmington Air Park, which had been the dominant regional employer. Officials there hope to redevelop the air park, now home to an aircraft maintenance company, to bring in additional businesses and jobs.

Turner offered the proposal as an amendment to the defense spending authorization bill for the government fiscal year that begins Oct. 1. A vote by the full House could occur this week, he said.

The Federal Aviation Administration has balked at allowing ground-controlled unmanned aircraft to fly where they could collide with commercial jetliners. A key to resolving this concern is development of so-called “sense and avoid” technology that would allow unmanned aircraft to sense approaching aircraft and get out of the way.

The Air Force and industry are trying to develop reliable “sense and avoid” technology.

On Thursday afternoon, Wright-Patterson will dedicate a laboratory for indoor flight testing of small UAVs, known as micro air vehicles.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2242 or jnolan@DaytonDailyNews.com.

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