Kansas Drone Summit Highlights Industry's $3 Billion Potential

(TNS) -- Commercial drones still aren’t ready for prime time.

But they are getting closer.

The state of Kansas held a summit for unmanned aerial systems – the drones, and the people and technology around them – to connect the state’s few drone companies with those who want to know more about the industry and technology on Thursday at the National Center for Aviation Training.

The state held a meeting in Wichita about unmanned aerial systems.

Two of the key takeaways:

• Commercial drones have huge economic potential.
• It’s a really tough business to be in at the moment.

The problem, from the perspective of the commercial drone business, is the same as it has been: The Federal Aviation Administration, worried about safety, has largely choked off growth with heavy regulations as it decides what its final policy will be.

The FAA, several speakers said, is expected to issue the final rules governing drone use in January and make them effective in June.

One entrepreneur, Andrew Fawcett of Blue-Chip UAS, based in Newton, described the hurdles he faces. Commercial operators, as well as most government drone operators, generally must have a pilot’s license; a Section 333 Exemption from the FAA; a Certificate of Authorization for the area in which they operate about two months before the flight; and a Letter of Agreement 24 hours before the flight.

The drone can’t fly higher than 200 feet, can’t fly over people, and must stay within sight.

Fawcett said he’s optimistic that the rules for operating will be relaxed while the rules on who can operate will be tightened – similar to flying an airplane – but, for now, he said the FAA rules are squeezing his business. He said he has had to turn away business that can’t wait at least two months.

“Because of regulations, in the last four months, I’ve lost $200,000 in business,” he said.

But, ultimately, the UAS industry will bring huge changes and huge benefits commercially, said Joel Anderson, director of development at Kansas State University.

Drones will be used in many different ways, from applying fertilizer more precisely on farm fields to quickly inspecting wind turbines to surveying a grass fire.

Anderson cited a study that suggested Kansas stands to gain about $3 billion from the developing the industry. The industry is young, it’s expected to be big, and Kansas is basically at the same starting gate as Texas, California and everybody else.

Anderson said the state could see outsize benefit when the federal rules are issued but that the state government needs to foster the industry.

“We have so much potential in this state,” he said. “We just have to get behind the technology.”

©2015 The Wichita Eagle (Wichita, Kan.) Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.