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Six States Chosen for UAV Test Sites

By Jean-Paul McDonald Farms.com

The Federal Aviation Administration has unveiled the six states that will host UAV (Unmanned Ariel Vehicles) testing sites in 2014. The UAV test sites will be located in Alaska, Nevada, New York, North Dakota, Texas, and Virginia, and are expected to not only create jobs in the states, but provide important research information prior to a full opening of U.S airspace in all 50 states by 2015.

UAV’s have increased in popularity across the agriculture sector, mainly with farmers scouting their fields for crop damage or loss due to weather and other natural conditions. Some UAV’s are equipped with state-of-the-art technology that allows the operator to see nutrient and moisture conditions that would otherwise be invisible to the naked eye.

With announcements from companies like Amazon who would like to see UAV’s used for home delivery purposes, the little drones may be an everyday occurrence in the sky above.
 


Trending Video

Crop duster agplane flying action Conger Minnesota Air Tractor Bell 206 Jet Ranger Airailimages

Video: Crop duster agplane flying action Conger Minnesota Air Tractor Bell 206 Jet Ranger Airailimages

It's summertime in Minnesota as a yellow Air Tractor agricultural application aircraft -- a crop duster -- responds to the control inputs of its pilot in a low-altitude dance just above the tops of the cornstalks. Enjoy! And we found a Bell 206 Long Ranger spray helicopter perched on a support truck at the edge of the cornfields, and launching from there. In our video, you can occasionally hear the rotor sounds of the crop-dusting helicopter as we see the yellow Air Tractor in a nearby field.