New York Creates Unparalleled Drone Testing Corridor

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced the completion of the state-supported 50-mile unmanned traffic management drone corridor, which runs from Central New York to the Mohawk Valley.

The first-in-the-nation corridor is the most advanced corridor in the nation. With the needed infrastructure now in place, companies will be able to test both unmanned aerial systems platforms and UTM technologies in real-world settings, generating data that will inform the industry and regulators and taking us one step closer towards the routine commercial use of drones.

The completion of the corridor advances the regions' collective strategy to accelerate and support emerging uses of UAS in key industries, including agriculture and forest management, transportation and logistics, media and film development, utilities and infrastructure, and public safety.

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

The Governor also recently announced that the corridor had also received approval from the Federal Aviation Administration to fly unmanned aircraft beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) within the first segment.

This is the first "true" BVLOS authority granted to the FAA-designated test that allows unmanned aircraft testing without the need for ground-based observers.

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