Aviation

Uncrewed Aircraft Systems

Today, the UAS research and services activities at ITRE cover a wide range of capabilities and opportunities. With thousands of UAS flights and hundreds of hours of flight time, the Aviation Team is a nationally recognized leader in UAS integration into the National Airspace System.   The Aviation Team is working with North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) Division of Aviation, the FAA, and industry partners to make UAS operations routine, safe, and accepted activities in our daily lives. The ITRE Aviation Team includes several nationally recognized UAS subject matter experts who are frequently invited as speakers, panelists, or contributors for discussions on emerging UAS trends and opportunities. The Aviation Team is always looking for new opportunities to utilize our resources or expand the research capabilities necessary to test new UAS technologies and airspace integration concepts.

• Flight Services and Access to Flight Locations
  • ITRE Aviation can provide flight services and access to flight locations. Through the ITRE Aviation Service Center, the Aviation Team is able to offer a wide range of flight services to support partners in building and testing UAS capabilities.   These services include consulting, site management of an operating area, flight operations for data capture, and data analysis.
  • The ITRE Aviation team supports local and national organizations preparing for the economic, disruptive, and technology advancement opportunities that UAS are promising by offering access to university researchers and facilities, state natural resources to provide flight research locations, and programs specifically designed to accelerate the integration and adoption of UAS into the National Airspace System.
• Technical Services
  • Every UAS flight by the ITRE Aviation Team is a successful research flight. We understand that UAS in the NAS sometimes perform as expected or not as expected, but either way another research data set is created in the need to demonstrate the potential for UAS operating in domestic, civilian airspace.  ITRE aviation conducts flight operations under Part 107 rules and has successfully obtained many Certificates of Operation (COAs) that have allowed NC State to operate large UAS (up to 300 lbs.) and at altitudes up to  3,000 AGL. These COAs have also allowed niche use-cases including agriculture spraying of pest and herbicides, as well as testing of drop deployed payloads.
• Research
  • ITRE staff are an integral part of AERPAW. To ensure the nation’s leadership in fifth generation (5G) wireless networks, the National Science Foundation (NSF) and an industry consortium have invested $100 million to build specialized wireless networks for U.S. researchers to test new ways of increasing wireless speed and capacity. North Carolina’s Research Triangle region has been selected for a $24 million NSF grant over five years to host one of these wireless networks called Aerial Experimentation Research Platform for Advanced Wireless, or AERPAW. On today’s 4G networks, fixed nodes enable signals to connect to wireless devices. On the AERPAW platform, nodes will be mobile, with the ability to transmit and receive radio waves from user devices while moving on demand. For example, in the aftermath of a natural disaster such as a hurricane, existing cellular networks may be damaged. As a result, aerial base stations can position themselves to provide the best wireless coverage to victims and first responders who would otherwise have no cellular connectivity. The platform also has the potential to help pilots fly drones beyond line of sight, allowing for improved air traffic control under Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations.
  • ITRE is proud to represent NC State University as a core member of the ASSURE alliance which is the team of universities selected as the FAA’s UAS Center of Excellence. NC State is the lead university for Command and Control (C2) research activities on ASSURE.   For more information, visit www.assureuas.org Opens in new window.
• Engagement
  • The Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS) Working Group was established to support the rising demands of research, training, and services in the modern aviation community. The UAS Working Group plans to meet two or three times per year to engage the public sector, private sector, and academic institutions who are interested in UAS.

Economic Impact and Planning Studies 

ITRE provides custom research and technical services through strategic planning, economic analysis, table top exercises, training programs, and other tools for supporting aviation decision making.

Training and Education 

The North Carolina Airport Technical Assistance Program (NC AirTAP) at ITRE supports the state’s public- and private-sector airport professionals. Working in partnership with the NCDOT Division of Aviation and the NC Airports Association, the program helps North Carolina airports improve the safety, quality and efficiency of their operations. NC AirTAP provides training, information and networking opportunities for airport staff to exchange best practices and increase the use of new aviation materials and technology.