Drone testing facilities are rapidly becoming more common, and for good reason too.  The drone industry is one of the fastest growing markets world wide.  Drones are being used in countless commercial enterprises.  It is estimated that over the next ten years drones will be creating more than 100,000 new employment opportunities and boosting the economy by $13.7 billion.  And that is an estimate for just the United States of America.  Which is why it is becoming increasingly more important to develop centers to research, design, and test drone capabilities.

There are already drone testing facilities in the US like the ones recently opened in Colorado and New Mexico.  However, this past month Governor Andrew Cuomo of NY announced the plans of a massive drone testing facility to be built in New York.  A $16.5 million expansion of the Syracuse Tech Garden is currently under way, with $12.5 million in funding coming from the state of New York as the governor related at a press conference on Tuesday, November 12th.  Located in downtown Syracuse, NY the Syracuse Tech Garden “Has been the center of the Central New York innovation ecosystem for over a decade.”  Their website goes on to explain that, “The Tech Garden helps create technology-leveraging start-ups, fosters the development of entrepreneurs, and supports the innovation ecosystem throughout the Central New York region. Entrepreneurs are wrapped into our Events, Programs, and Resources, offered business planning assistance, mentoring, specialized advice, targeted referrals, networking opportunities and inspiring space from which to grow their businesses. ”  It is the perfect place to foster the continued development of drone technologies.

When a startup company applies and then is awarded with a residency space in the Tech Garden they are given a space that is meant to fit the needs of their growing business along with the support systems to see to their success.  A typical work space includes your basic office needs and is around 500sq ft, while they offer spaces less than 100sq ft and up to 4,000sq ft.  But the center is now getting a big upgrade.  The new plans include two more stories and an open rooftop to be added onto the existing building.  The addition will provide more offices for technology based startups as well as areas specified for drone startups.  These specific areas are being called the Drone Zone.

In the Drone Zone, engineers will have the space and tools needed to create and test drones for any imaginable purposes.  The goal is to test the boundaries of how drones are currently being used.  But what truly makes this drone testing facility special is that it connects with the newly completed Drone Test Corridor.  The Drone Test Corridor is unlike any drone testing space in the world.  It stretches for 50miles from Syracuse to Rome, NY.  The corridor was built by Nuair, a New York based nonprofit UAS research company.

Not only does the Drone Test Corridor provide more than ample space for testing drones, it does so in a truly unique way.  The corridor is an outdoor space that has been sectioned off from surrounding areas for safety.  Because it is a safe fly zone the FAA has granted BVLOS (Beyond Visual Line Of Sight) flight to drones within the corridor.  This is the first time the FAA has granted a test site this freedom.  In the Drone Test Corridor drones can be tested in real world environments, with real world obstacles and conditions.

Speaking from Syracuse’s Hancock International Airport Governor Cuomo said, “The completion of the 50-mile drone corridor is a groundbreaking achievement that caps a key strategy laid out in our CNY Rising plan to make Central New York and the Mohawk Valley a global center for UAS testing and innovation.  Additionally, the Tech Garden expansion in Syracuse will further our efforts to draw forward-thinking industry entrepreneurs, including within the UAS industry, to the area ensuring the region continues to rise for decades to come.”  While the Drone Test Corridor is now open for business, the addition to the Syracuse Tech Garden is still in the beginning planning stages.  Construction on the building is projected to begin sometime next year.

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