50-Mile Drone Corridor Established In New York

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced the completion of the state supported 50-mile unmanned traffic management drone corridor, which runs from Central New York to the Mohawk Valley.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced the completion of a 50-mile unmanned traffic management corridor on Tuesday. The corridor, which is being called the first of its kind to be established in the U.S., will be used for testing unmanned aerial systems (UAS/drones) and unmanned traffic management (UTM) technology. It runs from Syracuse International Airport (SYR) to Rome, New York.

“With the needed infrastructure now in place, companies will be able to test both unmanned aerial systems platforms and UTM technologies in real world settings, generating data that will inform the industry and regulators and taking us one step closer towards the routine commercial use of drones,” the governor’s office said in a statement. “The completion of the corridor advances the regions' collective strategy to accelerate and support emerging uses of UAS in key industries ... ”

The New York Unmanned Aircraft System Test Site at Rome’s Griffiss International Airport (RME) received FAA approval for beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) drone operations within the first segment of the corridor last week. The State of New York invested approximately $30 million in the UAS corridor project, which was introduced in 2016. Cuomo also announced a $12.5 million project to expand Syracuse’s Tech Garden, a technology incubator that runs the GENIUS NY UAS competition.

Kate O'ConnorEditor

Kate O’Connor works as AVweb's Editor-in-Chief. She is a private pilot, certificated aircraft dispatcher, and graduate of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.