Advanced Aerial Innovation Region

Michigan Central and MDOT created the Advanced Aerial Innovation Region to accelerate commercial drone development and position Michigan as a leader in next-generation aerial mobility.

Our goal is to attract startups, catalyze new jobs, advance policy, and drive adoption of drones in commercial applications. In collaboration with federal regulators and local municipalities, the region provides access to airspace and infrastructure to safely develop and test new use cases for drones from prescription medication delivery to industrial supply-chain resiliency.

Drone Industry Community

The Advanced Aerial Innovation Region propels solutions focused on addressing accessibility, safety, tech equity and regulatory challenges by enabling testing of diverse potential commercial drone uses – ranging from delivery of medical supplies, consumer goods and manufacturing materials to infrastructure inspection and drone as a first-responder. Michigan Central provides foundational infrastructure, community engagement and skills training. Participating drone operators have access to concept and operational support from our partners at Airspace Link and Newlab. Flight data from all pilots support the initiative’s overarching goal to drive drone operations beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS). By gaining BVLOS approval, Advanced Aerial Innovation Region participants can accelerate commercial drone development at real-world scale and unlock immense value.

If you are a drone operator or innovator who shares our vision, connect with us here.

Advanced Aerial Innovation Region Infrastructure

Click each element to learn more about the systems, technology, and resources available for advanced aerial operations at Michigan Central.

Airspace Awareness for Pilots

Michigan Central supports safe, respectful, and legal use of drones in our community as a source of both recreation and economic development. To enable residents and businesses to fly safely, Michigan Central provides live data on areas of potential risk, advisories for local events or emergencies, and other flight planning features in the AirHub Portal application – a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)-approved, Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability (LAANC) UAS Service Supplier (USS). Pilots can access sophisticated pre-flight risk assessments, local weather reports, and automated near real-time LAANC approvals to fly in local controlled airspace (under 400’) in just two clicks.

Click to interact with map

Fly Now

FAQs

What is LAANC and the FlySafe Program?

LAANC is a partnership between the FAA and private industry (like Airspace Link) to safely integrate small drones into the national airspace. Flying within the national airspace is strictly regulated by the FAA. All FAA TRUST Certified Recreational and FAA Certified Commercial (Part 107) drone pilots require FAA LAANC authorization before operating in controlled airspace. The good news is now drone pilots can receive LAANC authorization for most operations in just a few seconds! Additionally, commercial pilots can request further coordination with the FAA for those operations that LAANC cannot automatically approve. LAANC is now available at over 732 airports nationwide!

How do I get started?

Step 1: Confirm Your Certifications
Confirm that your FAA Recreational Drone Pilot TRUST Certificate or Commercial Drone Pilot Certificate is valid.

Step 2: FAA Drone Registration
If your drone is greater than .55 pounds, register your drone with the FAA.

Step 3: Create a New Pilot Account
Register as a Michigan Central/Wayne County drone pilot using a valid email address in the AirHub Portal application. Once registered, you’ll have access to the most up-to-date airspace information, be able to create new LAANC operation submissions, and receive near real-time automated approvals from participating air traffic facilities and airports nationwide.

Step 4: Find Your Operation Location OR Click “Fly Now!”
After logging in, locate where you will be operating your drone using either an address, a known location name, the geographic coordinates, or manually navigate using the interactive map.

Alternatively, you can also create an operation by clicking the “Fly Now!” button. This feature allows you to quickly create a flight by pre-populating your information and automatically creating a circular flight boundary of your current location.

Step 5: Define Operation Parameters
The basics of an operation consist of an Operation Name, a Start Time (and Duration), the Operation Altitude, and the area you intend to fly. AirHub Portal will ensure you stay on track as you input your data.

Step 6: Request Authorization From the FAA
The final step is to request authorization from the FAA (if necessary) by clicking “Save Operation.” Sometimes, the operation is divided up into multiple areas if we need to submit to different Air Traffic Control facilities – AirHub Portal will handle that too.

What FAA resources are available?

The FAA has many resources around drones for the community and operators.

FAA Resources

How can I confirm my certifications?

Confirm that your FAA Recreational Drone Pilot TRUST Certificate or Commercial Drone Pilot Certificate is valid.

Recreational Drone Pilot TRUST Certificate
Commercial Drone Pilot Certificate

What are the requirements for FAA Drone Registration?

If your drone is greater than .55 pounds, register your drone with the FAA.

What rules do I need to know for using my drone?

Understanding the FAA’s drone pilot rules of the sky is the best way to start your flight.

Recreational Drone Pilot Rules
Commercial Drone Pilot Rules

Michigan Central believes drones have the potential to serve the community in new and exciting ways. They can close accessibility gaps, unlock new business models, bring jobs and career opportunities all while they serve our community. However, like all technology, drone use comes with new questions and keen interest from the community. We are committed to community engagement and awareness to ensure the benefits of drone commercialization can be shared by all.

Using our Advanced Aerial Innovation Region infrastructure, affiliated drone operators, as well as any drone operating with FAA required Remote ID hardware can be detected and identified when flying near Michigan Central. These flights can then be visualized through the AAIR Public Flight Viewer. This tool shows drone flights as soon as they are detected up to 30 minutes after the flight is complete. This capability provides our community the ability to provide targeted feedback on local drone operations.

UAS Flight Viewer for Community

As part of our commitment to community engagement and awareness of drone operations we invite you to explore local drone operations through the AAIR Public Flight Viewer and learn more about the specific technology and purpose of local pilots by visiting the Michigan Central Transparency Portal.

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FAQs

How do I find my location?

Search for nearby address, use “zoom to my location” button, or zoom and pan on the map to your desired location.

How quickly will a drone show up on the viewer?

As soon as the flight is detected, it will remain on the viewer for about 30 minutes after the flight is complete. If the drone remains on or flies again, it may show up as another flight.

How are drones shown on the viewer being detected?

The sensor that detects drones flying near the The Station at Michigan Central uses RemoteID to detect the drone and remote controller’s communication. The sensor is not able to intercept or view video from the aircraft, but can simply detect that it is there. Airspace Link takes the data from the sensors to visualize the position of the drone and remote controller on the map, flight position, and time.

Why is the drone I saw earlier not showing up on the viewer?

The sensor that detects drones flying near The Station at Michigan Central uses Remote ID to detect the drone and remote controller’s communication. The sensor is not able to intercept or view video from the aircraft but can simply detect that it is there. Airspace Link uses data from the sensors to visualize the position of the drone and remote controller on the map, flight position, and time.

If a drone does not appear on the flight viewer, it is because that particular drone’s capabilities are not within range of The Station’s sensors. Current capabilities are from about 1.2 miles, but some drones may have the capability up to 5 miles from The Station.

The drone may have also been cleared from the viewer about 30 minutes after a flight ended — this is to protect drone operators’ business operations.

Additionally, in certain cases, drones may not be detectable if they are not complying with the FAA’s Remote ID rule.

Who can I reach out to about concerns with drones in the AAIR?

Please reach out to AAIR@MichiganCentral.com if you have any questions or comments about UAS operations occurring in the AAIR.

Legend Information

Hexagon: Displays the area where a drone is being detected. If the hexagon is less shaded (lighter), then a drone was recently there but is no longer in that area.
Search: Button — search by address
Other map layers and data — visit AirHub® Portal for more information

Why does it say “map extent exceeded”?

Due to operator privacy, the system only shows drones at a certain zoom level. Try zooming in more.

How do I know if a drone I see is participating in AAIR or not?

Please refer to the Michigan Central Transparency Portal page for more information on participating (blue hexagon) pilot programs. If the hexagon is green, that drone is from a non-participating, public operation and the AAIR team has no insight into those types of operations.