Sunday, June 15, 2014

Wilmington Air Park

Wilmington Air Park

The Port Authority will have to rely on ATSG/Airborne and other traditional businesses to grow the airpark because the drone center appears to be concentrating in the Clark County/ Springfield area.
Paul Hunter

http://www.springfieldnewssun.com/news/business/economy/clark-county-looks-to-lead-uav-industry/ngKYc/

Clark County looks to lead UAV industry

Local businesses and institutions will push ahead with their attempts to make Clark County a leader in the emerging commercial drone industry, despite losing out on a bid to be one of six national test sites.
That includes launching the state’s first precision agriculture program at Clark State Community College and building $500,000 hangars at the Springfield-Beckley Municipal Airport to house unmanned aerial vehicles.
Other assets, like the Ohio/Indiana UAS Center and Test Complex on U.S. 40, put Clark County in a good position to attract businesses in manufacturing and research, even without the Federal Aviation Administration test site designation, said Frank Beafore, executive director of SelectTech Geospatial.
The unmanned aircraft industry could generate as much as $339 million for Ohio’s economy — and $13.6 billion nationwide — in the first three years after drones are integrated into U.S. airspace, experts have said, and precision agriculture is expected to play a significant role.
Just last week, the FAA approved the first commercial use of a drone in the U.S. and at the end of last month, the UAS center in Springfield participated in its first series of test flights.............

Frank Beafore, executive director of SelectTech Geospatial, talks about the 3D printer, at right, that his company uses on many of their projects. Bill Lackey/Staff

SelectTech’s Ann Conrad, a UAV technician and Nathan Gertz, a design engineer, show the new Clark State UAV to Jane Cape, dean of business and applied technologies, and Amit Singh, vice president of academic affairs. The UAV, designed and built by SelectTech in Springfield, will be used in Clark State’s new precision ag program

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