UAS Center at SBD Airport provides training and test flight site services

San Bernardino International Airport (SBD) continues to progress, expand and diversify its economic footprint in the City of San Bernardino and the Inland Empire.  In addition to the recent cargo agreements with UPS, FedEx, and Amazon Air, numerous corporate distribution facilities, and operations with the Sheriff’s Department Aviation division and US Department of Forestry, they have now added a new component, the Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Center at SBD.

Opened in July 2020 through the Inland Valley Development Agency in partnership with the San Bernardino County Fire Protection District, the UAS Center at SBD is envisioned as a state-of-the-art facility to meet the needs of a growing civilian industry of drone aviation technology.

The UAS Center at SBD specializes in public agency sector deployment of drone technology and the development of applications and standard operating procedures for a broad array of public services including fire and emergency services, law enforcement, public utilities, forestry and wildlife management, as well as on-airport UAS applications for SBD operations.

The Center is unique as it is the only drone training facility in Southern California with its own Federal Aviation Administration approved airspace.

“In order to truly stay ahead, we developed a center that promotes safe and proper UAS operations at the heart of a commercial airport while also embracing the future of flight right here at SBD,” stated Michael Burrows, Chief Executive Officer of the Inland Valley Development Agency and SBD International Airport.  “Unmanned aircraft technology is one of the fastest growing and increasingly regulated areas of our industry.  The UAS Center at SBD is an opportunity to showcase best practices in terms of training, alignment and integration of UAS technology into the public sector, while highlighting its importance within the aviation industry.”

The UAS Center at SBD has two primary components, Public Agency Sector UAS Training and UAS Test Flight and Demonstration Site Services.

The training component includes three core training modules.  The first component is a 12-hour online “Remote Pilot in Command” (RPIC) course that prepares future drone pilots to take the FAA Part 107 certification test. Upon completion of the training and passing the Federal Aviation Administration test, students receive their Part 107 certification. Second is an 8-hour Ground School program where students learn the practicalities of how to fly safely in accordance with FAA regulations and how to prepare and execute flight plans successfully – essentially, how to properly conduct a UAS flight from start to finish. The third and final portion is on site Flight Line Training of 10-20 hours (dependent on skill level) of actual drone pilot training to build confidence and maneuvering skills.

The entire training program including testing is offered to public agencies on a fee-for-service basis at less than $2,000 per student.

The UAS Test Flight and Demonstration Site Services program provides facilities, air space and support personnel for research and development operations of unmanned aviation technology in an FAA approved environment.

In September, the IVDA entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) to develop, test, exhibit and commercialize unmanned aerial systems technologies.  Caltech is one of the premier science and engineering research universities in the world, and opened its Center for Autonomous Systems and Technologies (CAST) in October 2017.

The UAS Center at SBD provides Caltech a unique test and demonstration setting under FAA guidance, including a secure site in a metropolitan area to conduct UAS test flights.

Partnerships are a key component for the success of the UAS Center at SBD according to Administrator Kimberly Benson.

“Our goal is to provide leadership in the integration of UAS technology into real-world public sector applications,” stated Benson.  “We are just beginning to scratch the surface on the capabilities of this technology, which is only really limited by our own imaginations.”