Contra Costa County Airport

The Pan-Pacific UAS Test Range Complex spans seven climate zones, allowing UAS manufacturers and potential users to test their equipment in the Arctic, the tropics, and in arid environments. Managed by the University of Alaska Fairbanks, the test site builds upon ongoing work of the Geophysical Institute’s Alaska Center for Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration (ACUASI). The University of Alaska Fairbanks provides the expertise and process to complete the necessary FAA airspace and flight operations authorizations for UAS airspace testing including associated fee(s) for acquiring a Certificate of Authorization. Freitas notes that Byron became a new test location for the University because they were losing engineers who were not happy being sent to two of its other locations – one in Oregon and another in Nevada - for four to six months. In addition, the county’s two-airport system offered the advantage of testing in two different environments. “Byron, because it’s in the far east