Comprehensive UAS testing services with advanced facilities, and expert personnel to ensure safe, efficient, and innovative flight operations.
Our standard service offering includes conducting of all aspects of testing, except for UAS operation, visual observation during flight, and gathering data specific to the test objectives. TUTR personnel are directly involved during each day of testing. We follow appropriate FAA and NASA safety procedures for crew time.
Hangar and Office Space to support operations; Dedicated control tower and mission control center; Flight operations support to include Range Safety Officer during operations.
Typically 10 hours in duration. Operations requiring a longer duration can be planned.
This does not include aircraft tracking.
Hangar and Office Space to support operations; Dedicated control tower and mission control center; Flight operations support to include Range Safety Officer Oversight; BVLOS, extended range, and/or high-altitude operations conducted with chase aircraft, pilot and Visual Observer during flight operations.
Typically 10 hours in duration. Operations requiring a longer duration can be planned.
This includes a pilot and tracking aircraft.
CONOPS Planning; Aircraft Operating Lease; FAA/FCC Approvals; Specific Operations Risk Assessment (SORA); weather forecast; Safety plan Operational Readiness Reviews approved by Range Safety Office; Coordination with local parks, police/fire, Coast Guard and/or MIL (for MOA access).
The flight operations hangar is available for customer use. This hangar is a modern facility with all required equipment for flight test support and aircraft integration and doors that open directly to the taxiway
As an FAA Designated Test Range, the TUTR is able to perform an expedited airworthiness process for operating under Public Aircraft rules to accomplish the desired testing and support certification efforts through a Designated Airworthiness Representative (DAR) associated with our parent entity, the University of Alaska and the Pan Pacific Test Range Complex.
The TUTR possesses all air traffic management tools of a major controlled airport, with the advantage of extremely light air traffic. The Operations Tower maintains multiple weather displays, surveillance and communications systems. Range radios provide direct communications between the various members of the flight test team, as well as the common air traffic frequency used for airspace deconfliction. This provides full capability for UAS operations under the TUTR COAs
Our Safety Management System (SMS) is the foundation of our operations and is tied to the Joint Authorities for Rulemaking of Unmanned Systems (JARUS) and Specific Operations Risk Assessment (SORA). We assess each Ground Risk and Air Risk then develop mitigations for the events most likely to occur and what the worst-case scenario that can happen.
We have a long relationship with the FAA that enables development of new types of operations that expand capabilities for new UAS platforms and systems. The TUTR SMS fully supports testing operations, processes, procedures, and controls to allow the customer to validate their capabilities and move to operations under their own FAA issued COAs and Waivers.
TUTR has an established High Altitude certificate of authorization (COA) to support a broad range of UAS operations, as well as serve as a basis for extending the covered airspace to the east as required. The existing COA airspace includes two large volumes. One extends from ground level to 60,000 feet with a radius of 60 nautical miles and a cutout section that excludes the area more than 10 nautical miles to the east
The second volume available under this COA extends from 60,000 ft to 130,000 ft with a radius of 80 nautical miles and no exclusion zone. TUTR also has a medium altitude COA that was established exclusively for testing Group 2 and 3 UAS, that extends from the surface to 16,000 ft with a 25 nautical mile radius around KTMK.
Both COAs have provisions for using TUTR tracking aircraft to provide escort and maintain visual contact. This provides for the requirements to escort UAS through non-controlled airspace, and deconflict with non-participating air traffic. Aerostar has agreements with the FAA to conduct and control these flights, as well as the communications capability on site in the operations center to manage the airspace deconfliction, including the ability to establish a direct voice line with Seattle Center (local FAA ATC).
Aerostar and TUTR’s extensive experience with high altitude, BVLOS, and night operations Certificate of Authorizations (COA)s have built a long-standing relationship with the FAA. The TUTR team steps you through the process of developing an Operation Manual, Training Program, and Concept of Operations that the FAA Requires for FAA approval. In the process, the customer will build their own relationship with the FAA.
Our current COAs have a wide range of Concept of Operations options for multiple needs. We can cover BVLOS, Night Operations, Heavy UAS, and High Altitude. Our physical coverage is a radius of 80 nautical miles, from ground level to 130,000 ft altitude.
TUTR prepares a Flight Data Report detailing the specific parameters of the flight from launch through recovery. The Flight Data Report includes a flight data package with raw telemetry files from the ADS-B systems, video files from the launch, and selected still photographic images documenting the launch, ascent, float, termination, and recovery of the customer payload/ platform.