Memphis airport will lead federal research project on drone technology

Drones will deliver parts at the FedEx hub and medical supplies at Shelby Farms and the Liberty Bowl as part of a new nationwide project to accelerate their integration into the National Airspace System.

The Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority, in partnership with FedEx and others, was announced Wednesday as one of 10 federal partners in a Trump administration push to advance America's use of unmanned aircraft systems.

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Memphis International Airport officials said their project would employ drones weighing 55 pounds or less in four areas:

• The airport will use drones for perimeter security and to detect foreign objects and debris on runways. Drones will be operated beyond visual line of sight of operators, and pilots will be alerted to the presence of drones.
• FedEx will use drones to inspect aircraft, track assets, facility security and emergency response. It will use drones to deliver small aircraft parts on a defined path in the north ramp area at the hub.
• In an area covering Shelby Farms, Agricenter International and the Wolf and Mississippi Rivers, drones will be used for precision agriculture, environmental protection, infrastructure protection and package delivery for medical needs within Shelby Farms.
• The city will operate drones within airspace including the Liberty Bowl. Uses will include infrastructure inspection, public safety and medical deliveries.

The airport authority will partner with the City of Memphis, city police and fire departments, Agricenter International, the University of Memphis, the Tennessee Department of Transportation Division of Aeronautics, FedEx, GE subsidiaries AirXOS and Avitas, Intel, Flirtey, 901Drones, Express Drone Parts and ForeverReady Productions.

Airport Authority president Scott Brockman and U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Memphis, said FedEx, the airport's largest customer, is key to the project.

"Being done in Memphis, it will be done with the help of FedEx and will absolutely, positively be done right," Cohen said.

FedEx spokeswoman Maury Donahue said, "FedEx continues to be a leader in transportation technology that improves safety and efficiency for our team members, operations and customers. We are supportive of testing and research in the FAA Unmanned Aircraft System pilot program. We are pleased that the FAA has selected Memphis as a test site for the program."

Brockman said the airport authority has been working on the application since last year.

“This is a tremendous opportunity for Memphis International Airport and its partners to explore how drones can be safely and effectively utilized in the Mid-South," Brockman said. "We formed a very strong team of partners in our bid to be considered as a program participant and are grateful to have been selected.”

Cohen added, "This is a major development for Memphis and puts us on the map as a major player in the nascent drone industry. In the months ahead, Memphis will increase its stature as a center for this cutting-edge technology and will advance the integration of unmanned aerial systems into the national airspace. The economic impact of this announcement cannot be overstated, and I congratulate the airport authority and its partners for this major achievement.”

The Memphis project was one of more than 150 applications for a drone initiative ordered by President Trump.

Chao said the U.S. is at a tipping point in the introduction of drones. As of May 4, there were 1.1 million registered drones in the U.S. and more than 90,000 registered drone operators, she said.

The projects will help the Department of Transportation and Federal Aviation Administration write rules to govern safe integration of drones into the National Airspace System, Chao said. The agencies’ partners will test drones under a variety of conditions that are currently forbidden, she said.

Programs around the country will look at night flights, flights over people and beyond a pilot’s line of sight, package delivery, detect-and-avoid technologies and the reliability and security of data links between pilots and aircraft.

Chao said the program has implications for commerce, photography, emergency management, agricultural support, health care, infrastructure inspections and "even human transportation."

Reach reporter Wayne Risher at (901) 529-2874 or wayne.risher@commercialappeal.com.