Unmanned aircraft group meets Nov. 7-10

November 4, 2016

Rod Boyce

UAF photo by Dyre Oliver Dammann. Pilot John Rogers flies a Ptarmigan unmanned aerial vehicle north of Barrow in April 2015.
UAF photo by Dyre Oliver Dammann. Pilot John Rogers flies a Ptarmigan unmanned aerial vehicle north of Barrow in April 2015.


The Alaska Unmanned Aircraft Systems Interest Group will hold its annual meeting Nov. 7-10 at the Lakefront Anchorage Hotel.

The group shares information about unmanned aircraft system regulations, operations, technology and research in Alaska.

The meeting will bring together UAS operators, regulators, technical experts and others from across Alaska and the nation to discuss UAS issues in Alaska and the Arctic.

The meeting will focus on the Federal Aviation Administration’s new regulations that allow commercial UAS operations in Alaska. The Nov. 8 technical presentations will focus on the new regulations, research on methods for safely integrating UAS into the airspace system and advances in UAS-based research. The Nov. 9 presentations will highlight federal efforts to use unmanned aircraft in disaster management and measurement of climate and other phenomena in Alaska. The Nov. 10 presentations will highlight how unmanned aircraft can diversify Alaska’s economy.

The Alaska Center for Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration at the University of Alaska Fairbanks organizes the annual group meeting. ACUASI leads the Pan-Pacific UAS Test Range Complex, one of the FAA's seven test sites.

During the AUASIG meeting, a UAS Legislative Task Force public hearing is scheduled at 1 p.m. Nov. 10 in the Lake Spenard Room of the Lakefront Anchorage. The hearing is open to the public, and public comments will be accepted.

For more information, contact Sue Mitchell, sue.mitchell@alaska.edu, 907-474-5823.