Central ND News

Senator John Hoeven joined Tommy Kenville, CEO of iSight Drone Services, and officials from the Northern Plains Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) Test Site to announce that iSight will conduct unmanned, beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS) flights in the Grand Forks region.

“We have spent decades working to safely integrate unmanned aircraft into the national airspace while positioning North Dakota at the center of these efforts through the Northern Plains UAS Test Site, Grand Sky, the University of North Dakota and the partnerships we’ve established with military, government and private sector organizations. Today’s announcement with iSight Drone Services is the latest example of why this work is so important,” said Hoeven. “Tommy Kenville has been thinking creatively about getting drones into the national airspace for many years, so it makes sense to partner his company with our test site in developing and demonstrating new commercial applications for UAS. The services iSight will provide to Altru will not only serve the hospital system and its patients; this work will also open the door to all sorts of new, exciting economic activity. All of it is possible due to the unique combination of legal authorities, capabilities and partnerships we’ve developed here in North Dakota that don’t exist anywhere else.”

The announcement follows Hoeven’s efforts since his time as governor to establish North Dakota as a premier site for unmanned aviation research, development, testing, training and operations. His work includes securing authorizations and capabilities needed to safely integrate UAS into national airspace.

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