Drone test flight a success in Cape
By RICHARD DEGENER
CAPE MAY — It may have looked like a model airplane on steroids but officials here saw more than an expensive toy as a gas-powered drone took off from the U.S. Coast Guard base Thursday afternoon.
As they watched the $300,000 RS-16 drone fly out over the ocean, taking live video relayed to a computer screen, they saw endless possibilities.
“What the drone sees could be sent to a command center or right to a police officer,” said Cape May County Emergency Management Director Martin Pagliughi.
Freeholder Director Jerry Thornton saw an untapped market for the underutilized Cape May Airport as a drone industry takes off in America.
“It’s going to be a multibillion-dollar industry,” said Thornton. “It will supply significant jobs, high-paying jobs, and we have the space at the airport. We have a take-off and recovery area that doesn’t go over population centers. We have the airspace over the ocean, which is easy for the FAA to control as restricted airspace.”
Mayor Ed Mahaney saw it partly as an emergency management tool.
“It can go out and assess a storm. It could have been invaluable in Hurricane Sandy,” said Mahaney.
Professor Michael Chumer, of the New Jersey Institute of Technology, is running the testing program — the first in New Jersey in national airspace approved by the FAA. There have been military flights. He said these tests are strictly to study how drones can be used in emergency response, homeland security and public safety.
“My data goes to the FAA as they begin to make decisions on integrating these things into national airspace,” said Chumer.
While officials here are bullish on drones, they know there are also plenty of questions about them. Many are concerned about invasion of privacy issues and the potential for bad people to use them for bad things. Drones can be armed or used to interfere with air traffic.
Chumer said it’s something to think about and prepare for. He said one future beneficial use of drones by authorities could be to counter drones operated by those with bad intentions.
Thornton said it will be up to state and federal agencies to make sure drones, known officially as unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), are properly regulated.
“We need to create proper legislation so it’s not abused, but the technology is too far-reaching not to use it,” said Thornton.
The FAA is currently working on regulations and recently put out guidelines to follow in the meantime. Laws have also been passed by several states — and even some municipalities and counties.
Lucas Armena, an NJIT student involved with the project, said North Carolina last year passed a law banning drones from being armed. They also can’t be used for fishing, which has become popular for offshore big-game fishing.
The FAA is telling hobbyists who use drones to keep them under 400 feet, stay away from airports, be within sight of the machine at all times, and other measures. They could still face privacy and liability issues. Chumer said many drone flights are in areas that are illegal.
“You’re seeing a lot of cowboys out there pushing the envelope on this,” Chumer said.
Thursday’s test flight had nothing to do with issues emerging about private use of drones. It was designed to test drone capabilities for government uses. Part of the goal was simply to see how airworthy they are and the quality of the live video they take.
Chumer said they have FAA approval to go out over the ocean 40 nautical miles and climb to 10,000 feet though the plan Thursday was one nautical mile and 3,000 feet. The first test flight was only on Wednesday and the plan was to proceed cautiously.
Compressed air was used to launch the drone, which has a 13-foot wingspan, and the Honda engine took over from there. It’s had no problem thus far with winds of more than 30 knots encountered at the higher altitudes.
“It’s not like was built in somebody’s garage. You can’t get these at Radio Shack,” Chumer said.
Chumer said a company is already making drones that take off vertically and then switch to an airplane mode, before returning to earth in a hover mode. County officials are envisioning the Cape May Airport possibly becoming a place with the infrastructure and flight areas to test new models. This could eventually include applications for civil aviation.
“That could be a draw for economic development,” Chumer said.
There are still some limits. The FAA has not yet certified a UAS transponder, so this limits how high the drones can fly. Transponders allow other aircraft and air traffic controllers to see them.
“I asked for 15,000 feet from the FAA but they wouldn’t let me,” Chumer said.
The test flight, which drew a crowd of officials and media, was considered a success as the drone had no flight problems, the color video was crisp and clear, and the drone landed with no problem to cheers from the crowd. They were cheering the potential drones could have for the area, well aware there could be abuses.
“There’s always that factor but you have to rely on the positives outweighing the negatives,” said Mahaney.
