Kenley Nebeker, executive director of TrainND Northwest and president of the TrainND Foundation, was voted to be the Chairman of the North Dakota Unmanned Aerial Systems this past week. Nebeker joins The Crude Life’s Jason Spiess on KLXX 1270AM SuperTalk’s Talk of the Town with Steve Bakken to talk about the new non profit that legislators and UAS leaders to “promote autonomous efforts in the state”.
The North Dakota Unmanned Autonomous Systems Council was created for the “purpose of promoting use cases for the UAS industry, as well as to provide outreach to communities”.
“As cheesy as this might sound, it’s a quality of life issue and making lives better,” Nebeker said. “Whether that is with the Ag sector or the energy sector or the package delivery sector, if it can be done faster and safer we want to look at that market.”
State representatives Mike Nathe (R-Bismarck) and Todd Porter (R-Mandan) pushed to create the council, according to KFYR News. The state reps say the industry needs an organization similar to other groups like the Petroleum Council or Lignite Energy Council.
Vice President of Membership Stacey Mesteth says North Dakota’s government and geography should make autonomous systems enticing to companies.
Nebeker described what the Vantis Network, dumbing it down to a simple highway system for drones.
“The statewide Vantis network is enabling UAS flights beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS), if you want to think of it as the highway in the sky that will allow drones to go from border to border in North Dakota and other states as they come on,” Nebeker said. “Right now North Dakota is set up and poised to become the nation’s epicenter of commercial UAS activity. It’s an exciting time right now.”
The Vantis is the first such program of its scale in the United States. 
In 2013, the FAA announced drone testing sites in six states: Alaska, Nevada, New York, North Dakota, Texas and Virginia. Shortly after, FAA Administrator Michael Huerta signed a certificate of authorization making Grand Forks the first unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) research and test site in the nation.
“Ultimately what is contained within this network is the ability to communicate with a UAS beyond the visual line of sight,” Nebeker said. “So the communication, command and control of that unmanned vehicle and also what is going on in the airspace around that unmanned vehicle.”
Going to the next level in UAS will be a leap and springboard according to Nebeker.
“The airspace in the United States is heavily governed by the FAA, and in order to move forward using that airspace, we need to have some sort of system in place,” Nebeker said. “Vantis is North Dakota’s effort to try and solve that problem and begin moving beyond visual line of sight.”
The interview also discussed how consumers will benefit from the system, whether it be a pizza delivery, bird seed or driving an automated car. Entry level ideas and resources for entrepreneurs who want to get into the UAS industry where also discussed in the interview.
To contact Kenley Nebeker, email kenley.nebeker@willistonstate.edu
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