“Pilot programs for drone delivery require strong emphasis on real-world validation,” says Jamey Jacob, Ph.D., Regents Professor of Aerospace Engineering and Executive Director of the Oklahoma Aerospace Institute for Research and Education (OAIRE) at OSU. “Medical drone delivery is a high-impact application, improving access to critical supplies such as blood, pharmaceuticals, diagnostic samples and emergency equipment.”
The FAA launched the Integration Pilot Program in 2018, says Doug Wood, State Manager for Advanced Air Mobility in the Oklahoma Department of Aerospace and Aeronautics. “They picked key test sites to solve specific problems, running tests from 2018 through 2023.”
These included Oklahoma’s Choctaw Nation, focused on “Beyond Visual Line of Sight” (BVLOS) for rural medical deliveries in sparsely populated areas.
Jacob adds that in Oklahoma, “both the Choctaw and Cherokee nations have secured Phase 1 SMART funding to advance these capabilities in rural and tribal areas. OSU, through OAIRE, is supporting these efforts by providing expertise in Unmanned Aerial System operations, flight testing, system integration, airspace approvals and public outreach. These pilot programs are required to help build the operational frameworks, partnerships and public trust needed to transition drone delivery into scalable ops.”
Offering “a uniquely balanced environment for advancing drone delivery,” Jacob says Oklahoma’s rural geography and large areas of low population density “reduce operational risk and enable safe testing of new concepts such as BVLOS operations, as well as the presence of mid-sized cities and regional hubs create opportunities to develop and validate hub-and-spoke delivery models.”
Also, Oklahoma’s weather offers 300+ days annually for flying, says Wood, and adds that “we have safe airspace and ground space. Additionally, we have several organizations working on drone operations.”
Jacob says FAA drone delivery regulations are currently pending. Wood adds those regulations “will play a large role in deciding the infrastructure needs for integration of small and large autonomous BVLOS drone operations. This is about a whole new category of heavy-lift aircraft.”
Aerospace is Oklahoma’s second-largest, fastest-growing industry. So, Wood says, “You can expect to see drones of all sizes, from small pizza-delivery types to 1,300-pound autonomous freighters, in Oklahoma’s skies much sooner than most realize. We’re not just waiting for the rules to drop; we’re helping to write them.”
Interested in Working in the Drone Delivery Hub?
Getting involved in drone delivery is connected to the new 14 CFR Part 108 rules.
“These rules are designed to regulate large-scale operations like medical delivery, infrastructure inspection and agricultural operations,” says Wood. These missions fly BVLOS so “the FAA requires a high level of safety integration. Most of this work is being handled by large, vertically integrated companies.”
So for those who want to fly for delivery, look for a full-time job with the bigger operations rather than contract work.
“Having drone or aviation expertise is a good start, being a drone or manned aircraft pilot with experience and a valid license is usually required,” Jacob adds.
Other opportunities include “mission planning, maintenance, autonomous systems and data analysis. Aviation knowledge combined with software, AI or systems engineering will be increasingly important. Universities such as OSU are building this workforce pipeline.”
