Vigilant Aerospace‘s FlightHorizon airspace management and uncrewed traffic management (UTM) system has been selected as the airspace management system for Skyway36 droneport in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Skyway36 is a premier droneport in the United States, functioning as an “airport for drones” and accommodating larger Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) aircraft, such as air taxis.
Vigilant Aerospace provides multi-sensor detect-and-avoid and airspace management software for uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) and advanced air mobility (AAM). With the implementation of FlightHorizon, Skyway36 will be able to track and coordinate drones, detect intruding aircraft, and ensure a safe environment for beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) drone flights, which is crucial for the growth of the UAS industry.
Skyway36 is the Osage Nation’s aerospace innovation zone, offering dedicated facilities for UAS flights. It supports advanced air mobility and drone missions, including survey drones, first responder drones, autonomous delivery aircraft, and other missions. The facility boasts a state-of-the-art UAS indoor test facility operated by Windshape, hangar and office space under development, a 3,000-foot runway suitable for larger fixed-wing drones, and a certified helipad for both conventional helicopters and new electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicles (eVTOLs).
The site is managed by DronePort Network, under contract with Osage LLC, and serves as the first commercial node on the Skyway Range Flight Corridor. This 114-nautical-mile Drohne corridor is one of the nation’s most ambitious advanced air mobility projects. Skyway Range features four central nodes for autonomous flight testing along multiple routes and is partially supported by a US Economic Development Administration grant.
CEO of DronePort Network, Craig Mahaney commented, “As autonomous flight gathers momentum, we’re seeing a growing number of flights from droneports like Skyway36. To scale safely and successfully, we must ensure an environment designed to enable long-distance drone flights, air traffic monitoring and advanced safety systems. Vigilant Aerospace’s FlightHorizon allows Skyway36 to provide these services and to attract more operators by providing a world-class facility and technology for a wide variety of uncrewed flight operations and testing.”
“Skyway36 is working to provide and build premium infrastructure and this partnership with Vigilant Aerospace and its FlightHorizon system helps to keep us at the forefront of the industry. As an officially designated Tech Hub by the U.S. Economic Development Administration, the Tulsa region and our droneport can play an important role in the national development of autonomous systems,” said Russell Goff, CEO of Osage, LLC.
Kraettli L. Epperson, CEO of Vigilant Aerospace, commented on the Skyway36 opportunity in Tulsa, “Skyway36 provides a significant capability not just regionally but nationally for furthering autonomous flight. Installing FlightHorizon at one of the nation’s first commercial droneports is a milestone for the industry and helps to set the standard for shared infrastructure at droneports everywhere. Being the first node on the Skyway Range Flight Corridor also provides significant opportunities to make Skyway36 and this region a national proving ground.”
FlightHorizon is built on two NASA patents and integrates data from various sources, including aircraft transponders, radar, drone autopilots, and live FAA data, to create a comprehensive view of the airspace surrounding a drone. The software predicts trajectories and delivers standards-compliant avoidance commands to the remote pilot.
Post Image- Aerial view of Skyway36 near Tulsa, Oklahoma (Image Credit- Vigilant Aerospace)
