Drone-testing Facility Takes Flight

The National Capital Region’s only outdoor drone testing site has opened in the university’s Discovery District, even if technically, it’s indoors.

UMD and the A. James Clark School of Engineering were allowed to proceed with the Fearless Flight Facility (F3) in the tightly controlled airspace around Washington, D.C., because it’s contained by a giant net canopy 300 feet across and 50 feet high.

The setup allows students and faculty to develop and test unmanned aerial systems in all kinds of wind and weather while satisfying national security requirements.

“F3 allows us to pursue an aggressive UAS research agenda that would not be possible without the protection of a netted enclosure,” says Darryll Pines, Clark School dean and Farvardin professor of engineering.