State's in place to attract drone industry
Oklahoma is one of the top states ready to accommodate the drone industry, according to an analysis by researchers at George Mason University.
The study ranked Oklahoma third behind North Dakota and Arkansas. It focused mostly on state laws that could allow unmanned aerial vehicles (UAS) to operate along "drone highways" without much restriction.
Across the world, hundreds of commercial drone operators are testing business ideas and launching services that rely on unmanned vehicles to make deliveries. However, widespread deployment of commercial dr ones is still years away, the report' s authors said.
"Progress has been slow in part because of a lack of clarity about the federal and state roles over drones and airspace management ," the report states ." Some members of Congress would like to codify state and local authority over dr one flight management,
but the technology is moving faster than federal legislation."
Oklahoma is cited as one of the most-ready states for a drone economy for three reasons: State law allows for the creation of drone highways above state and local roads, landowners hold airspace rights, and the state government has established the Oklahoma Advanced Mobility Pilot Program that makes policy recommendations to transportation officials.
However, the analysis points out Oklahoma nuisance and trespass laws could impact drone operators even if they don't disturb people on the ground.
Oklahoma also ranks in the bottom half of states when it comes to the number of drone-related j obs, an estimated 7.3 out of 100,000 people. Although that's seen as a strike against the state, the industry appears to be growing. Both Oklahoma State University and the University of Oklahoma have drone programs and research, and the Choctaw Nation oversees a national program to research and test how drones could one day operate in the national airspace.
Texas-based Berry Aviation is just one company adding employees in the dr one industry. The company launched its unmanned division in Stillwater last year. About half-a-dozen people work for the company in Stillwater, and Division Vice President Gary Ambrose said he plans to hire three more this spring.
Berry Aviation focuses mostly on Department of Defense contracts, but Ambrose said the team's discoveries also could have a commercial use. Right now, the company is studying how drones can navigate without using GPS.
"We've got a lot of stuff going on right now. I think the biggest thing for us is we're hiring engineers, mostly out of OSU, but not exclusively," Ambrose said. "We've got a nice partnership with the universities, both OU and OSU."
He said there is a renewed desire to connect academia with the aerospace and drone industries because it gives companies more confidence in the talent pool. The partnership can start early in the research process.
"That helps out immense ly because as that technology matures and maybe leads to manufacturing or some sort of integration and production, now you have students who are working on those projects," he said. "They seamlessly flow right into the workforce."
In 2019, Saab Group declined Oklahoma's pitch to be the home of a $37 million manufacturing plant for a new U.S. Air Force jet. Saab reportedly questioned whether Oklahoma could provide enough highly skilled workers, and part of that problem may have been a lack of partnership with academia.
"I think that was a missed opportunity," Ambrose said. "I think it's not solved entirely here in Oklahoma yet, but that was an eyeopener for everybody."
Ambrose said there's movement to make sure universities and industry are working more seamlessly in a way that makes the state more attractive.