Feds Give City Of Murfreesboro State’s First Go-Ahead To Fly Drones

Murfreesboro is leading Tennessee into the drone era. The city has achieved federal authorization to fly training missions over Barfield Crescent Park starting this month.

“The City of Murfreesboro has secured proper FAA certification to not only ensure that privacy, civil rights and liberties are protected but that city personnel who operate UAS (unmanned aircraft systems) are appropriately trained and supervised,” city IT director Chris Lilly said in a press release.

The list of restrictions from the FAA is
22 pages long and sounds a lot like what it takes to fly a plane, including a special physical exam. Flight plans have to be filed two days in advance. The pilot has to maintain radio contact with air traffic control in Nashville. And only a certified drone pilot can take the controls, which really narrows down the pool. 

“Currently, I will be the only one flying the aircraft,” says Justin Robinson, who is leading the city’s drone program but whose title — at the moment — is
“
network technician.
“

Murfreesboro sees opportunities in unmanned aerial vehicles or UAVs. The low-hanging fruit would be land surveying, inspecting water towers or providing aerial views while investigating traffic accidents. Robinson also expects a role, later, in search-and-rescue and fire suppression.

“Having an aviation unit such as a helicopter costs millions and millions of dollars,
“ 
he says. 
“
Something like a UAV
program is — literally — a fraction of that cost.”

The quad-copter Robinson is authorized to use can be
purchased online for $1,200.

While still just for training purposes, this new “certificate of authorization” from the FAA makes Murfreesboro one of Tennessee’s first cities to get the approval. Large cities have a tougher time because of how busy their airports are.

Middle Tennessee State University has its own FAA permission to fly drones for
research. The school even offers an undergraduate
degree in unmanned aircraft operations.

Murfreesboro would need to go one step further with the FAA to begin flying outside of restricted airspace. Robinson says the city council will be asked for its approval.