Sen. Wyden Hails $3.5 M Project & Touts C.O. UAV Test Credentials
Oregon Senator Ron Wyden made a flying visit to Bend Municipal Airport recently to check in on a $3.5 million taxiway overhaul funded with the help of federal dollars and set to smooth the way for more aviation-related jobs, as well as boosting hopes of landing a major Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) testing site in the region.
Flanked by backhoes, the Democratic high-flier hailed the runway renovation – financed in part by a Federal Aviation Administration grant – as highlighting the importance of government investment in infrastructure projects producing meaningful economic benefit.
After protracted Congressional approval of the FAA reauthorization bill which Sen. Wyden (D-Ore.) helped get passed earlier this year – including an Airport Improvement Program initiative targeted at smaller facilities – work began on rebuilding and resurfacing Bend’s previously disheveled “Taxiway A”, which is also being widened from 30 to 35 feet to accommodate larger aircraft like the Gulfstream business jet.
Speaking before a group including site contractors, airport and city officials, Wyden said: “These major investments in infrastructure, which have bipartisan support, are putting people to work right now and laying the groundwork for producing major economic impact in the future.
“These workers are improving a first-class facility that can be a magnet for a lot of other opportunities.”
Wyden was also instrumental in increasing the potential number of permanent test sites that the FAA is looking at creating nationally to support the burgeoning UAV, or drone, industry from three to six, adding that if Central Oregon could land a portion of the work the local economy could reap significant dividends.
After recently calling a meeting between potential interested parties from Oregon, Washington and Idaho as part of a mooted collaborative North West regional approach regarding bidding for UAV test site selection, Wyden said he was gratified that 90 people representing some 30 organizations – including representatives of Boeing, law enforcement and universities – turned up at short notice, demonstrating the level of interest and expertise at hand.
According to recent studies, the unmanned aerial systems (UAS) market, which previously was focused on military applications, is now worth around $5 billion, and projected to grow at a rate of ten per cent annually in expanding areas such as firefighting, search and rescue, law enforcement and resource/land management.
Wyden said: “There will be a lot of pitching for these sites, but this part of the country is well-positioned and we need to keep the momentum going and pull out all the stops to push for consideration.
“I think this could be a real shot in the arm for the economy, and Central Oregon has really laid the groundwork for aerospace activity and done a lot of heavy lifting.
“You cannot put together an Oregon or a North West proposal that doesn’t mention Central Oregon as a potential primary UAV test area, so we’ve got a shot if we stress our strengths.”
As part of efforts to pursue opportunities in the industry, Economic Development for Central Oregon (EDCO) and Oregon State University (OSU) signed a Memorandum of Understanding last year to develop technologies related to UAS that will benefit OSU’s academic and research programs, particularly natural resource management.
Simultaneously, the agreement is aimed at helping EDCO incubate new UAS startups and bring additional businesses in the field to the region.
After targeting this aviation growth segment as a way to help diversify the local economy, EDCO conservatively estimates the potential economic impact of recruiting UAS companies to the region to be approximately 450 employees, $28 million in payroll, and an overall economic impact of nearly $75 million within a seven-year period.
EDCO Executive Director Roger Lee said: “The signing of the MOU is an important step in attracting UAS testing activities. In turn, that groundwork will attract industry to either relocate or start up in Central Oregon.”
Because Central Oregon has large expanses of airspace over lightly populated rural areas and away from major airports and air traffic corridors, and a track record of developing and testing experimental manned aircraft, the region believes it can obtain approval for the testing of experimental unmanned systems while meeting the FAA’s strict safety and monitoring protocols.
Lee was also in attendance during Sen. Wyden’s visit and commented: “When you come to the airport, you see the amount of activity and vibrancy in terms of aviation-related economic impact and the growing number of jobs involved.
“Investment in this facility is certainly going to be used actively as this is one of the busiest general aviation airports in the state.
“We also appreciate Senator Wyden’s long-standing support of aviation, and his work behind the scenes on issues such as the FAA reauthorization bill. It is important for economic development to have such strong partners, especially in terms of critical infrastructure needs.
“We also appreciate collaborative partners such as OSU, which is stepping up to take a lead role in the UAS initiative.”
Jake Hanning, project manager for general contractor Jake Hanning & Sons which is spearheading the taxiway reconstruction, said: “We appreciate Senator Wyden’s visit and the federal investment in such infrastructure work.
“This project is good for local companies like ours and all the subcontractors that form part of the team. There are many different elements involved, including paving, aggregate, concrete, electrical work, striping and surveying”
Airport Manager Gary Judd said that businesses linked with the aviation hub had weathered the headwinds of the recent recession remarkably well and estimated that the 13 businesses located there provided over 140 jobs and generated an estimated $35 million in annual revenue, as well as close to $13 million in payroll.
He added: “The improvement work will put us in an even better position regarding economic development, including opportunities with China which is making huge investments domestically and pretty much creating a general aviation infrastructure from scratch.”
