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N.D.'s unmanned aircraft test site has plenty of demand, waiting for rules from FAA


Hundreds of companies have contacted North Dakota's unmanned aircraft test site over the past year hoping to test drones, cameras or other technology.

More than a year after North Dakota was named one of six national test sites for drones, the Federal Aviation Administration has yet to write regulations governing drone use in the United States. Observers say the pace of rule making is keeping a potentially huge industry grounded.

The lack of rules is forcing businesses and even some North Dakota researchers to take their drones to Canada where it's easier to get permission for test flights. Canada, Australia and several European countries have fewer restrictions on drone flights. That's attracting U.S. firms and leading some in Congress to worry the United States will lose business.

"The FAA is just not moving as quickly as we would like them to move and we don't really understand why that is," said Al Palmer, head of the Unmanned Aircraft Systems Center at the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks.