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The very first 'droneport' is coming

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Reuters

Aerodrome, a company that owns and operates teaching airports for commercial drones, has broken ground on the world's first commercial droneport — a facility that offers government-approved training, testing, and pilot certification.

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The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has only approved five other sites for educating and providing official pilot certification for drone operators. But the droneport is the first facility that is entirely dedicated to drones and allows them to take priority over manned aircrafts, according to the press release.

Aerodrome has broken ground on the fully-funded droneport, which will be located in Boulder City, Nevada. Parts of the droneport program are already operational in Boulder City, and the facility is slated for completion in 2018, according to Fast Company.

The announcement comes just after the FAA announced on Monday its mandatory drone registration program. According to the new FAA rules, all consumer drone owners who own a device between half a pound to 55 pounds must register the unmanned aircraft with the government using their name, address, and email.

Drone owners who use the device for commercial purposes must continue to register their unmanned aircraft via the paper process that was formerly established.

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Aerodrome

“Unmanned air systems are inherently different from manned aircrafts and require a whole new type of expertise in order to be executed safely,” Jonathan Daniels, president of The Aerodrome, said in the press release.

“This historic development has far-reaching implications, and will bring with it new aviation business opportunities, jobs and a profound new reputation for the U.S. as the world’s leader in Unmanned Air Systems," he continued.

The 50-acre Eldorado Droneport, as it's been dubbed, will generate its own solar power to operate the facility.

There are only two ways to get approval to fly drones for commercial purposes under the FAA. One can apply for a Certificate of Waiver or Authorization (COA) to fly one, but COAs are typically granted for research purposes.

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Aerodrome

The other, more common way is to apply for permission through Section 333 of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012, which grants companies the right to fly drones under specific parameters.

Aerodrome notes in its statement that there are currently 2,500 companies with that Section 333 exemption, creating an impetus for a droneport facility of this nature.

"[There's] only one place in the world where [drones] now take priority over manned aircraft," Daniels said. "This droneport is the model for the rest of the country, if not the world.”

The Eldorado Droneport is open to the public but privately operated. It provides training for drones; FAA repairman and pilot certification and testing; and other educational initiatives.

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