Special Temporary Authority application - Applicant Name
Name of Applicant:
Phoenix Air Unmanned, LLC
Special Temporary Authority application - Best Contact
First Name:
James
Last Name:
Cieplak
Phone Number:
571-287-1284
Title:
Project Manager - Commercial UAS Solutions
Special Temporary Authority application - Certification
Applicant certification
Neither the applicant nor any other party to the application is subject to a denial of Federal benefits that includes FCC benefits pursuant to Section 5301 of the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988, 21 U.S.C. Section 862, because of a conviction for possession or distribution of a controlled substance. The applicant hereby waives any claim to the use of any particular frequency or electromagnetic spectrum as against the regulatory power of the United States because of the prvious use of the same, whether by license or otherwise, and requests authorization in accordance with this application. (See Section 304 of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended.) The applicant acknowledges that all statements made in this application and attached exhibits are considered material representations, and that all the exhibits part hereof and are incorporated herein as if set out in full in this application; undersigned certifies that all statements in this application are true, complete and correct to the best of his/her knowledge and belief and are made in good faith. Applicant certifies that construction of the station would NOT be an action which is likely to have a significant environmental effect. See the Commission's Rules, 47 CFR1.1301-1.1319.
Date:
2019-02-18 00:00:00.0
Signature of Applicant (Authorized person filing form):
Will Lovett
Title of Applicant (if any):
Managing Director Unmanned Systems
Special Temporary Authority application - Explanation
Please explain in the area below why an STA is necessary:
Echodyne Corporation’s EchoGuard radar is a high performance ultra-low cost, size, weight, and power electronically scanning ground-based radar. This requested STA is to enable Phoenix Air Unmanned, LLC (PAU) and Harris Corporation (Harris) to operate and validate performance of the radar in specific ground-based radio-navigation scenarios, while flying UAS along ~2,500 miles of Xcel Energy transmission line infrastructure. This testing is a temporary, non-recurring service where a regular authorization is not appropriate as it is associated with a joint test initiative between Xcel Energy and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) under a limited FAA 14 CFR Part 107 waiver. The EchoGuard radar will be utilized on a temporary basis at each of the identified locations for a limited period-of-time. Pursuant to 47 CFR Part 5.3 (d and j) operational and engineering data will be collected during field testing in relation to an ongoing unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) research project. Please note that this submission is a combined submission with File Number: 0245-EX-ST-2019 Confirmation Number: EL907574 due to the number of Antenna Locations.
Special Temporary Authority application - Information
Callsign:
WO9XBJ
Class of Station:
FX
Nature of Service:
Experimental
Special Temporary Authority application - Initial values - Purpose of Operation
Please explain the purpose of operation:
Xcel Energy teamed with Harris and PAU submitted (4 Jan 2019) a FAA 14 CFR Part 107 waiver request to fly a small UAS at low altitude (below 250 ft) in remote/non-urban areas, in uncontrolled airspace (Class G) along ~2500 miles of transmission line (represents <1% of Xcel Energy’s critical infrastructure). This is part of the ongoing testing being conducted between Xcel Energy and the FAA to facilitate use of UAS in the National Airspace System in support of safe and reliable operation of the national electrical grid (FAA Partnership for Safety Plan MOU #2016-PSP-0921). Initial shorter transmission line segment testing (e.g., 50 miles) was accomplished, and this next level of testing will provide real-world technical and operational data across multiple geographic locations. Each sub-area has geographic and operating environment differences providing a variety of UAS utility line inspection and radar performance testing opportunities. The Echodyne EchoGuard radar will be installed as a transportable fixed station (FX) on a PAU operations vehicle that is planned to be parked at/near each submitted location that is also associated with a UAS take-off/landing zone (LZ). The radar and other equipment will be turned on and operated during the UAS flight operations at each LZ estimated for ~2 hours. The radar will be oriented down the transmission line to detect possible manned aircraft in vicinity. Based partially on this data, the UAS pilot may navigate the UAS to remain well clear of the manned aircraft. The radar will be shut-off while the operations vehicle drives to the next LZ to redeploy. The ~2500 miles are planned to be flown over a 6-month period (1 May-31 Oct 2019), with the radar typically being operated at each location one time for ~2 hours over the 6-month period. The point of contact within the FAA Spectrum Management Office is Don Nellis ([email protected]), and he is aware of this multiple location STA for transmit authorization of the Echodyne Echoguard ground radar for the FAA-Xcel Energy project.
Special Temporary Authority application - Manufacturer
Equipment 1 Experimental
Yes
Equipment 1 Manufacturer
Echodyne Corp.
Equipment 1 Model Number
MESA-SSR
Equipment 1 No. Of Units
2
Special Temporary Authority application - Purpose of Operation
Please explain the purpose of operation:
Xcel Energy teamed with Harris and PAU submitted (4 Jan 2019) a FAA 14 CFR Part 107 waiver request to fly a small UAS at low altitude (below 250 ft) in remote/non-urban areas , in uncontrolled airspace (Class G) along ~2500 miles of transmission line (represents <1% of Xcel Energy’s critical infrastructure). This is part of the ongoing testing being conducted between Xcel Energy and the FAA to facilitate use of UAS in the National Airspace System in support of safe and reliable operation of the national electrical grid (FAA Partnership for Safety Plan MOU #2016-PSP-0921). Initial shorter transmission line segment testing (e.g., 50 miles) was accomplished, and this next level of testing will provide real-world technical and operational data across multiple geographic locations. Each sub-area has geographic and operating environment differences providing a variety of UAS utility line inspection and radar performance testing opportunities. The Echodyne EchoGuard radar will be installed as a transportable fixed station (FX) on a PAU operations vehicle that is planned to be parked at/near each submitted location that is also associated with a UAS take-off/landing zone (LZ). The radar and other equipment will be turned on and operated during the UAS flight operations at each LZ estimated for ~2 hours. The radar will be oriented down the transmission line to detect possible manned aircraft in vicinity. Based partially on this data, the UAS pilot may navigate the UAS to remain well clear of the manned aircraft. The radar will be shut-off while the operations vehicle drives to the next LZ to redeploy. The ~2500 miles are planned to be flown over a 6-month period (1 May-31 Oct 2019), with the radar typically being operated at each location one time for ~2 hours over the 6-month period. The point of contact within the FAA Spectrum Management Office is Don Nellis ([email protected]), and he is aware of this multiple location STA for transmit authorization of the Echodyne Echoguard ground radar for the FAA-Xcel Energy project.
Special Temporary Authority application - Requested Period of Operation