With Christmas drawing near, state leaders have something to be concerned about that’s on everyone’s list: small personal use drones.
The Unmanned Aircraft Systems Legislative Task Force will met today in Anchorage with updates from the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs and Federal Aviation Administration as well as discussion of safe operation of small drones by Alaskans for personal or recreational use.
The discussion of personal use small drones is a timely concern based on data that states small drones are one of the top five Christmas gifts this holiday season.
Previously we reported that Integrated Robotics founder John Parker says he’d like to start manufacturing his Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, known commonly as drones, in Kenai. Currently built in France, the Infotron IT180 weighs about 31lbs and costs $188,000.
Parker: “We’re looking at manufacturing this equipment here in the near future, as a joint venture with Infotron, who’s the original equipment manufacturer and they’re in France. I’ve been back and forth to France several times working with them and training and all that. We want to bring this technology and all aspects of it here to Alaska and especially here to the Kenai Peninsula, because it’s different from oil and gas, it’s different from tourism, it’s different from fishing.”
The purpose of the task force is to eventually provide information to state leaders on how to best implement a state policy on both public and private unmanned aircraft systems.
