Textron Systems’ Aerosonde Mk 4.7 VTOL UAS has completed a flight between two vertiports through commercial airspace as part of Virginia’s Advanced Air Mobility Smart Airspace programme.
The demonstration was conducted with the Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership (MAAP) at Virginia Tech and involved the Aerosonde launching from a vertiport at the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute in Blacksburg, Virginia, before flying nearly 150 nautical miles to a vertiport at Textron Systems’ Aerosonde Center of Excellence in Blackstone.
Textron said the flight was the first UAS demonstration in commercial airspace to use vertiports for both take-off and landing. The flight lasted approximately two and a half hours.
The demonstration supports the Virginia Advanced Air Mobility Smart Airspace programme, which is researching the use of vertiports and other airspace infrastructure for advanced air mobility operations. MAAP, one of seven FAA-designated UAS test sites, is leading the programme.
The Aerosonde Mk 4.7 VTOL is designed for both vertical take-off and landing and fixed-wing flight, allowing it to operate from locations with limited runway infrastructure.
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Image: Textron Systems’ Aerosonde® UAS
