|
|
|
Flinthills Solutions will begin the process to get certified to use the El Dorado Airport to fly their unmanned aircraft systems (UAS).
The El Dorado City Commissioners approved a memorandum of understanding with Flinthills during their meeting Monday.
Flinthills Solutions, which began five years ago, had proposed utilizing the airport for some of its training operations with UASs.
Commissioner David Chapin had a couple of questions before giving his consent.
First, he wanted to know what the fly area was going to look like on the charts for pilots.
Roger Powers, president and CEO of Flint Hills Solutions, said there would not be any designated area on the chart, which was typical.
“My biggest concern is having these large birds flying around that don’t see airplanes,” Chapin said.
“That is exactly what the FAA is concerned about,” Powers assured him.
He said they would outline an area used for landing and an area above the ground to use.
“Even though there is a notice to airmen and some people may miss that, it is up to the pilot and commander (of the UAS) to make sure they have communication and line of site with the UAS,” he said, explaining if they see traffic, they have to take the necessary steps to move. “We will never operate the UAS without the line of site.”
Chapin also asked if the city could stop operations at any time if things weren’t going appropriately.
Herb Llewellyn, city manager, said they could do that according to the MOU.
After having his questions answered, Chapin said he did not foresee any problems with this.
One other question Chapin had was what their business would look like a year from now.
Powers said they were in partnership with the city.
“We do have current business that we can position there and we do intend to do that if this is a UAS area,” he said. “We take very seriously this partnership. Most airports would pay a consultant to have the knowledge and experience that we are going to provide.
“You are providing us a very good runway with almost an ideal area to operate.”
“Larger companies will see it as an opportunity to do some real serious training,” Powers continued. “We’re going to need a professional training classroom environment. We’re going to need a small UAS maintenance shop. We defined those requirements. We already designed that building and we already have plans to build that building.”
Flinthills Solutions will begin the process to get certified to use the El Dorado Airport to fly their unmanned aircraft systems (UAS).
The El Dorado City Commissioners approved a memorandum of understanding with Flinthills during their meeting Monday.
Flinthills Solutions, which began five years ago, had proposed utilizing the airport for some of its training operations with UASs.
Commissioner David Chapin had a couple of questions before giving his consent.
First, he wanted to know what the fly area was going to look like on the charts for pilots.
Roger Powers, president and CEO of Flint Hills Solutions, said there would not be any designated area on the chart, which was typical.
“My biggest concern is having these large birds flying around that don’t see airplanes,” Chapin said.
“That is exactly what the FAA is concerned about,” Powers assured him.
He said they would outline an area used for landing and an area above the ground to use.
“Even though there is a notice to airmen and some people may miss that, it is up to the pilot and commander (of the UAS) to make sure they have communication and line of site with the UAS,” he said, explaining if they see traffic, they have to take the necessary steps to move. “We will never operate the UAS without the line of site.”
Chapin also asked if the city could stop operations at any time if things weren’t going appropriately.
Herb Llewellyn, city manager, said they could do that according to the MOU.
After having his questions answered, Chapin said he did not foresee any problems with this.
One other question Chapin had was what their business would look like a year from now.
Powers said they were in partnership with the city.
“We do have current business that we can position there and we do intend to do that if this is a UAS area,” he said. “We take very seriously this partnership. Most airports would pay a consultant to have the knowledge and experience that we are going to provide.
“You are providing us a very good runway with almost an ideal area to operate.”
“Larger companies will see it as an opportunity to do some real serious training,” Powers continued. “We’re going to need a professional training classroom environment. We’re going to need a small UAS maintenance shop. We defined those requirements. We already designed that building and we already have plans to build that building.”
He said those plans could be moved to El Dorado if they decided to.
“We need to establish this partnership,” Powers said, adding that he expects to see great employment growth in El Dorado through this. “The runway is the way to get started.”
Commissioner Shane Krause asked if another company could come in and operate a UAS business under their certificate, which they have to receive from the FAA to fly the UAS.
“The certificate is going to be held under El Dorado and the designated operator is Flinthills Solutions,” Powers said. “We want a relationship where we’re going to bring business to you.”
He said they would like to have the first right of refusal, and companies would use them to apply for a certificate.
Krause went on to ask if the city was limiting its growth with the MOU.
Llewellyn said he didn’t think so, explaining the city would hear little about what was going on, with Flinthills doing the work.
Krause made a motion to approve the MOU, which was approved 5-0.
