SALINA — The Kansas Department of Transportation’s Division of Aviation is hosting a program update and tech forum for the Kansas Unmanned Aerial Systems Integration Pilot Program (UAS IPP) on Thursday, Dec. 6, at 5:30 p.m. at the K-State Polytechnic Center Conference Room, located at 2310 Centennial Road in Salina.

This event is aimed to inform the public of the activities planned for Phase I of the Kansas IPP program, which involves UAS test flights in the airspace north of Gypsum. The UAS IPP initiative is aimed at shaping the future of drone use across the country.  

The program will include a brief overview of the program followed by comments from key leaders and opportunity to meet UAS IPP partners from state agencies, universities and the aviation industry. Dignitaries will also include Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) representatives.

KDOT is currently conducting operations over team member right of way infrastructure and participating agriculture partner-owned land. These operations will support a Phase II safety case that will include Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) operations. These flights will help the FAA and KDOT further UAS integration efforts to meet program objectives. Testing is focused on industry use and testing of current team member capabilities to drive Phase II of the program.

About Kansas’ UAS IPP

KDOT’s UAS IPP is one of 10 participants in the nation selected to safely explore the further integration of drone operations. This program will help tackle the most significant challenges to integrating drones into the national airspace and will reduce risks to public safety and security. The Kansas team is focused on efforts in Long Line Linear Infrastructure Inspection (i.e. highways, railroads, energy distribution lines, etc.) and Precision Agriculture. For more information, go to www.ippkansas.org.