Maintenance Training for Unmanned Aircraft Systems

 The Grand Forks UAS Connection

Grand Forks, ND, and surrounding area of the United States has been rapidly developing into a hub of UAS activity. Several civilian, government, military, and educational organizations all play a role in what some say is the fastest growing segment of the aviation industry. One of the area’s leading organizations for UAS activity is the University of North Dakota John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences.

UND Aerospace has long been known as a leading educational institution for aviation and aerospace studies, and offers a host of courses such as aviation, atmospheric sciences, computer science, earth system science and policy, space studies, and now UAS. The UND flight school trains pilots from around the world, employs more than 450 people, operates 120 aircraft from single engine trainers to jets, accumulates nearly 120,000 hours of flying per year, and has a very impressive maintenance organization to keep this fleet of aircraft flying.

Grand Forks is a regional headquarters for the U.S. Customs and Border Protection which operates several fixed wing aircraft, helicopters, and the Predator B UAS. The Predator that made an appearance at EAA AirVenture in 2009 came from Grand Forks. When the last tanker leaves the U.S. Air Force Base located near Grand Forks later this year, the base will become the new home for two Global Hawk UAS, with plans of expanding the fleet of Global Hawk UAS based there. Numerous aerospace companies have opened offices and facilities in the area, in order to provide regional support of their products used in the UAS industry.

Al Palmer, retired general with the North Dakota Air National Guard, spent 10 years as director of flight operations at UND, and is now the director for UND’s Center of Excellence for UAS. Palmer says, “The Center of Excellence will engage in cutting edge research and introduce new technologies directly into the marketplace through our partnerships with companies in the Grand Forks area. This emerging segment of aviation will also create highly skilled and highly paid professional jobs in the regional area and beyond.” The goal of the Center of Excellence is to promote and commercialize the UAV for a wide variety of applications in the private sector.

Palmer says, “We are working hard with the FAA to gain access to the National Airspace System for UAS training and for research and development. We hope to train pilots and sensor operators for both the military and for the civilian segments.” UND currently operates several UAV for a variety of R&D activities. One of the UND ScanEagle UAS was invaluable for photography and surveillance during recent spring flooding of the Grand Forks area.

For more information on the University of North Dakota John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences visit www.aero.und.edu.

— Ronald Donner