Virginia Tech is one of six sites nationwide selected by the Federal Aviation Administration for research and testing of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), commonly known as drones.
The FAA picked the sites from 25 proposals from 24 states.
The agency said Virginia Tech plans to “conduct UAS failure mode testing and identify and evaluate operational and technical risks areas.”
The Virginia Tech proposal includes test locations in Virginia and New Jersey.
The five other winning proposals were from the University of Alaska, the State of Nevada, New York’s Griffiss International Airport, North Dakota Department of Commerce and Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi.
The test site selection is the result of moves by Congress to have drones share the airspace with airplanes by the end of 2015.
In choosing the six test site operators, the FAA considered geography, climate, location of ground infrastructure, research needs, airspace use, safety, aviation experience and risk.
The first site is expected to begin operation within 180 days, according to published reports.
Among other requirements, test site operators must comply with federal, state, and other laws protecting right to privacy, have publicly available privacy policies and a written plan for data use and retention, and conduct an annual review of privacy practices that allows for public comment.