Wingin' It - Arlington Municipal Airport Newsletter Wingin' It - Issue 11 - March 2018 | Page 3

Issue 11 – March 2018
UAS Integra on Pilot Program—Project TALON
On 25 October, 2017, President Trump directed the Secretary of Transporta on (DOT) to implement an Unmanned
Aircra System (UAS) Integra on Pilot Program within 180 days. The purpose of the “public‐private ini a ve” is to
accelerate UAS integra on in lower airspace, 200 to 400 feet above ground level, into the Na onal Airspace System.
The Secretary of Transporta on will select five State, Local or Tribal government‐led teams to partner with the FAA.
The direc ve charges the DOT and the FAA to implement pilot programs focused on more complex UAS opera ons
such as beyond visual line of sight, night opera ons and opera ons over crowds. These more complex opera ons
offer great benefits to Texas in sectors such as Emergency Management‐First Responder Support, Disaster Response &
Recovery, Agriculture, Energy, Cri cal Infrastructure Inspec on, Transporta on, Commercial and Medical Package De‐
livery.
Governor Abbo ’s office is coordina ng a regional alliance that includes the States of Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Okla‐
homa, New Mexico, and the Chickasaw Na on, plus a number of ci es, universi es, businesses, and airports, through‐
out the Southwest. The Arlington Municipal Airport and Bell Helicopter are among those par cipa ng. Known as
“Team Talon”, the colla on is in a very strong posi on to capture one of the five UAS Integra on Pilot Program awards
and lead the way toward:
 Accelera ng the safe integra on of UAS into the na onal airspace.
 Addressing ongoing concerns regarding security, safety and privacy.
 Iden fying ways to balance local and na onal interests.
 Promo ng growth and innova ons in the UAS industry.
The Department of Transporta on is expected to announce the teams selected in April.
South Taxilane Reconstruc on Update
Bids were opened for the South Taxilane
reconstruc on, and FNH Construc on
submi ed the low bid. TxDOT Avia on
expects the project to begin in mid‐April
and be completed in August.
One phase of this construc on will
require the self‐serve fuel facility to be
closed for about 40 days. Harrison
Avia on will work with tenants that pur‐
chase their fuel at that site during the
closure.
Tenants on the north side of the South
T‐hangars will be able to access their
hangars, and fly, at all mes, but will be
asked to use an alternate route during a
por on of the construc on.
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