Moses Lake airport well-positioned to become drone test center

by KING 5 News

Wash. — Grant County International Airport is one of the biggest airports in the world. In the middle of Eastern Washington, it’s also one of the quietest.

Pat Jones says the open skies over this one-time Air Force Base makes this airport in Moses Lake the perfect spot to test aircraft without pilots.

The FAA is looking to find six airports around the U.S. to answer the question: Can pilotless airplanes, like those the military uses in Afghanistan, safely share the skies with airliners the rest of us fly on?

Patrick Jones, executive director of the Port of Moses Lake, sees this airport going well beyond a role as test site to become a permanent center for UAV research and development.

He’s got the hangers and modern industrial space ready for research and aircraft assembly.

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