KDOT announces Kansas airport improvement projects

Topeka – Twenty-three projects have been selected for Kansas Airport Improvement Program (KAIP) funding for the purpose of planning, constructing or rehabilitating public use general aviation airports, according to the Kansas Department of Transportation.

KAIP receives $5 million annually through the T-WORKS transportation program and requires airport sponsors to share in the project costs by paying a minimum of 5% of the total project. The KDOT’s Division of Aviation, which manages the program, considered 113 project applications this year with a combined total project value of more than $27 million.

“Transportation provides access to all things important in our lives and aviation is a particularly important mode of transportation for Kansas industry,” Julie Lorenz, Secretary of Transportation said. “These airport improvements are a few of the many important efforts to empower aviation economic growth across our entire state. KAIP has shown great value through the years and will continue under the proposed FORWARD transportation program.”

The selection board identified $4.2 million of improvements to address the top 15% most impactful airport improvements across the state. 

“Aviation represents $20.6 billion in total economic impact for the state of Kansas,” said Bob Brock, KDOT Director of Aviation. “We’ve assessed the remaining $23.5 million of needs and are working with communities to identify best-value strategic improvements through KAIP.”   

You can see the full list of communities here:

Kansas approved for first Beyond Visual Line of Sight drone flight in the nation

KDOT received the first-ever FAA authorized operation to fly without a requirement of visual observers or ground-based radar. 

The Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) received permission to conduct the first ever Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) drone operation in the nation leveraging only onboard detect-and-avoid systems. This is the first-ever FAA authorized operation to fly without a requirement for visual observers or ground-based radar and is the result of the 31-member Kansas Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Integration Pilot Program (IPP) team efforts to advance drone technologies.

In a collaborative effort between Kansas State University Polytechnic Campus (K-State Polytechnic), Westar Energy, Iris Automation and KDOT, the Kansas IPP team will fly a nine-mile track to evaluate technologies to inspect power lines in rural Kansas. This approval is the first of its kind for long line linear infrastructure and is the first step to enable routine commercial infrastructure inspection across the state.

“The UAS industry has worked over 10 years to demonstrate the most significant commercial benefit of drone operations within the United States,” said Bob Brock, KDOT Director of Aviation. “We are proud of the joint state, university and industry team effort that made this landmark decision possible.”

“The ability to fly BVLOS missions without ground-based radar or visual observers is a significant advancement, and Westar Energy views this as an opportunity to play a key role in shaping the future of UAS operations within the utility industry,” said Mike Kelly, Westar Energy Senior UAS Coordinator. “Being able to operate under this waiver allows the Kansas IPP team the ability to research and develop truly scalable BVLOS UAS operations for the automated inspection of linear infrastructure.”

The Applied Aviation Research Center on the K-State Polytechnic Campus will be responsible for the training and flight operations with a cross-functional team from the KDOT IPP. Flights will take place over the next few months, providing the FAA with much-needed data on true BVLOS activity.

“We look forward to leveraging this waiver to integrate UAS technology into the transmission line inspection process,” said Kurt Carraway, UAS Executive Director of the K-State Polytechnic Applied Aviation Research Center. “We are certain that utilities will be able to quickly realize a return on investment while mitigating safety to their maintenance personnel and increasing the reliability of their infrastructure to the general public.”

This is the first UAV flight in history to leverage onboard sense-and-avoid systems alone for collision avoidance. It also marks the first required automated avoidance action. Historically, all FAA-issued Part 107 BVLOS waivers have required visual observers or ground-based radar. These mitigations limit the possibility of true BVLOS flights, as they are typically prohibitively expensive and limit operations to pre-defined corridor areas with radar coverage. 

This important milestone is facilitated by Kansas UAS IPP partner Iris Automation’s Casia onboard collision avoidance system.

“Flying rural missions like these without a human pilot onboard or costly radar on the ground is exponentially safer and more cost effective,” said Iris Automation CEO and Co-Founder Alexander Harmsen. “The FAA is trusting us to pave the way for a safer, scalable future together with this precedent-setting second approval of our system.”

KDOT Aviation Director chosen for national committee

KDOT's Director of Aviation Bob Brock
was recently named one of 12 people
appointed to the U.S. DOT's Drone Advisory
Committee.

Bob Brock, Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) Director of Aviation, is one of 12 people appointed to the Drone Advisory Committee (DAC) by the U.S. Secretary of Transportation. The Federal Aviation Administration's DAC will provide advice on key Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) integration issues by helping to identify challenges, prioritize improvements and create support for strategy and vision.

“Continuing to grow aviation in Kansas is a priority for KDOT, and we can’t be more pleased to have innovative people like Bob lead the way for transportation in this important industry,” said Julie Lorenz, Secretary of Transportation.

Brock was named the first Director of UAS in the nation in 2016. Since then, Kansas has been recognized nationally in the UAS industry on several occasions –

sThe first to have a statewide unmanned traffic management system;

sOne of five states to conduct advanced UAS research flights in the FAA’s UAS Integration Pilot Program;

sWinner of the 2019 Operations and Safety Xcellence Award from the Association of Unmanned Vehicle Systems International.

“Aviation inspires creativity. We are fortunate in Kansas to be surrounded by smart pioneers and entrepreneurs - willing to take risks that may very well change the world through aviation,” Brock said. 

KDOT announces Kansas airport improvement projects

Topeka – Forty-one projects totaling a combined award of $5 million have been granted for the Kansas Airport Improvement Program (KAIP) funding for planning, constructing or rehabilitating public use general aviation airports.

The aviation industry represents $20.6 billion economic impact and employs more than 92,000 Kansans. In addition, 94 percent of the state’s population is within 30 minutes of air ambulance operations.

“We are proud of the collaboration between our department and airport sponsors to increase safety, enhance economic development and support the transportation needs of Kansans,” said Secretary of Transportation Julie Lorenz.

The KAIP program requires airport sponsors to share in project costs by paying a portion of the total project. The KDOT Division of Aviation, which manages the program, considered 119 project applications this year with a combined total value of more than $29 million. 

“KAIP has not only funded key improvements at local airports, it has helped create a statewide aviation network that enhances both the health and economic wellbeing of the entire state,” said Bob Brock, KDOT Director of Aviation.  

Communities selected for funding and the amount requested include:

Anthony – Airports Geographic Information Systems (AGIS) survey and flight check – $52,250

Atchison – Surface seal of runway – $56,925

Atwood – Update fuel card reader – $17,000

Augusta – Reconstruct apron access to community hangar – $76,500

Beloit – Airfield maintenance equipment – $16,250

Benton – 17/35 runway preservation – $321,867

Elkhart – Airports Geographic Information Systems (AGIS) Study – $76,000

Emporia – 1/19 runway sealcoat and preservation –$411,500

Fort Scott – Airports Geographic Information Systems (AGIS) updates and runway extension design – $152,000

Gardner – 8/26 runway/apron/taxilane pavement preservation – $90,000

Garnett – 1/19 runway seal and repair high severity cracks – $40,500

Hiawatha – 10/28 runway edge lighting design – $19,000; 17/35 runway edge lighting design – $19,000; taxilane renovation design and construction – $61,890

Hoxie – Phase II: runway rehab – $303,440

Independence – South apron runup area renovation – $721,500; fuel systems – $36,335

Kingman – Precision approach path indicator (PAPI) replacement – $182,963

Kinsley – construct tiedowns – $10,949

La Crosse – Operations support equipment – $45,000

Lakin – Automated Weather Observing System (AWOS) III – $176,250; 14/32 runway mill and overlay design and construction – $303,250

Liberal – Runway marking removal and replacement – $248,500

Oberlin – Height and hazard survey – $38,000

Ottawa – Pavement preservation on parallel and connection taxiway system – $173,250

Pittsburg –Replace Automated Weather Observing System (AWOS) ceilometer –$43,200; remove obstructing trees – $18,000

Quinter – Install Automated Weather Observing System (AWOS) III – $135,000

Rose Hill – Crack seal– $16,200; upgrade fuel credit card terminal – $14,875; mill and overlay runway 17/35 – $174,600

Salina – Phase II: ramp reconstruction – $720,000

St. Francis – Extend SE taxiway – $133,200