Aerial inspections of gas and petroleum pipelines were simulated during NASA’s final Systems Integration and Operationalization (SIO) demonstration flight with partner American Aerospace Technologies Inc. (AATI) Feb. 25, 2021.
American Aerospace Technologies Inc.’s AiRanger unmanned aircraft system (UAS) flew with the Citabria plane observing the flight during NASA’s Systems Integration and Operationalization (SIO) demonstration Feb. 25. AATI used this demonstration to represent how its AiRanger UAS could survey miles of petroleum pipeline.
The SIO demonstration series is in partnership with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and three industry partners to show potential commercial applications using different sizes of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) in a variety of locations and different airspace classes. SIO aims to accelerate the safe integration of UAS for commercial applications into the national airspace system.
AATI flew its AiRanger UAS for approximately one hour and 57 minutes from the Elk Hills-Buttonwillow Airport in Kern County, California, west of Bakersfield ranging out 14.5 miles and returning. The AiRanger flew over rural, sparsely populated areas, and was operated by a remote pilot based at a ground control station.