Kansas City Week in Review – DRONES IN KANSAS

REVIEW.

DID YOU KNOW THAT AT KANSAS CITYSTATE UNIVERSITY YOU CAN NOW GRADUATE WITH A DEGREE INDRONES?YEP, K-STATE IS ONE OF THE FIRST SCHOOLS IN THE NATION TO OFFER ABACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN UNMANNEDAIRCRAFT SYSTEMS.

WHILE MANY OF US THINK OF DRONESAS JUST THE LATEST STEALTHWEAPON, THOSE WHO MAKE THE AERIAL DEVICES SAY THEY COULDSOON BE HUGE COMMERCIAL MONEYMAKERS, BUT VIDEO OF HELLFIRE MISSILE STRIKES IN THE NEWS THISWEEK THAT THE F.

IS USINGDRONES FOR DOMESTIC SURVEILLANCE HERE IN THE UNITED STATES ISCOMPLICATING THE INDUSTRY.

ON KCPT'S THE LOCAL SHOW LAST NIGHT, KCPT SPECIALCORRESPONDENT SAM ZEFF TOOK USINSIDE THE K-STATE DRONE PROGRAM.

HERE ANSWER — HERE'S ANEXCERPT.

OKAY.

LET'S JUST GET THIS PART OF THESTORY OUT AND AWAY RIGHT NOW.

ADMIT IT, THIS IS HOW YOU THINKOF DRONES OR AS PEOPLE IN THEDRONE BUSINESS LIKE TO CALL THEM, UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLES.

AND EVEN THOUGH WEAPONNIZEDDRONES GET THE MOST ATTENTION, THE WORLD IS QUICKLY FINDINGWAYS TO COMMERCIALIZE THEM.

A GUY IN AUSTRALIA USES DRONES TO SELL REAL ESTATE.

FED EX HAS FANTASIES OF USING ADRONE SIMILAR TO THIS ONE TO MOVE PACKAGES.

AND YOU PROBABLY SAW THIS,DOMINOS LITTLE PR STUNT IN THE UK USING A DRONE TO DELIVERPIZZA.

BUT THE MOST IMMEDIATE DRONE APPLICATIONS MIGHT BE RIGHT HEREIN KANSAS AND MISSOURI.

WE'RE ON I-70 HEADING WESTBOUND JUST OUTSIDE OFABILENE, AND WE'RE ON OUR WAY TOSALINA, WHICH IS ARGUABLY THE EPICENTER FOR DRONE RESEARCH INTHE MIDWEST.

FOR ABOUT $1,500, WE'LL HAVE AN AIRCRAFT THAT CAN PLI — FLYAND DO AGRICULTURE RESEARCH.

IN ABOUT AN HOUR'S WORTH OF FLYING, CAN FLY ABOUT 800 TO1,000 ACRES.

THIS IS THE UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLE LAB AT THE K-STATE IS ASHRINE — SALINA CAMPUS ON THEOLD HISTORIC SMOKY HILL AIR FORCE BASE.

WE'RE GOING A TOUR FROM THEPROGRAM MANAGER MARK BLANKS.

KANSAS STATE HAS BEEN TEACHINGAVIATION FOR YEARS AND WAS ONEOF THE FIRST UNIVERSITIES TO GET INTO DRONES.

THEY BELIEVE THE FIRST LARGECOMMERCIAL USE WILL BE IN AGRICULTURE.

WE CAN TELL IF THE PLANT ISRECEIVING ADEQUATE NOURISHMENT, IF IT'S RECEIVING ADEQUATEMOISTURE, IF THE PLANT ISSTRESSED IN ANY WAY DUE TO PESTS OR DISEASE.

IN THE UPPER WEST CORNERHERE, WE SEE THE ALTITUDE OF THE AIRCRAFT, IT LOOKS LIKE ATRADITIONAL MANNED PLANE.

GREEN IS THE HORIZON.

IT ALSO TELLS US AIR SPEED,ALTITUDE OF THE DIRECTION IT'SFLYING.

HERE IS THE THING THAT ISBOTH REALLY COOL AND JUST ALITTLE SCARY.

ALL OF THESE DRONES CAN BE FLOWNWITH A LAPTOP, AND IN SOMECASES, A TABLET.

THE PILOT WILL PLOT A COURSE ONTHE MAP AND THEN, WELL, LOOK ATTHIS, THE DRONE CAN BE LAUNCHED OFF THE TOP OF A CAR OR THERE ISA CATAPULT THAT CAN INSTANTLYGETTING IT GOING 40 MILES AN HOUR.

THIS MAY LOOK LIKE NOTHING MORETHAN MODEL AIRPLANES, BUT IT'S THE CUTTING EDGE IN DRONETECHNOLOGY.

YOU CAN SEE SAM'S FULL REPORT ON DRONES ON THE REBROADCAST OFTHE LOCAL SHOW SUNDAY EVENING AT5:30.

SAM, WHAT HAPPENED TO THOSEBILLS BOTH IN KANSAS ANDMISSOURI THAT WOULD HAVE PREVENTED ANY DRONES BEING USEDFOR DOMESTIC SURVEILLANCE INKANSAS OR MISSOURI WITHOUT A SEARCH WARRANT? NEITHER OF THEM CAME OUT OFTHE LEGISLATURE IN MISSOURI HAVE PASSED THE HOUSE IN KANSAS THATDIDN'T COME OUT OF COMMITTEE.

BOTH OF THOSE BILLS ARE STILL ALIVE, AND BOTH OF THEIRSPONSORS SAY THAT THEY WILLBRING THEM UP AGAIN WHEN THE LEGISLATURES RECONVENE NEXTSESSION.

I ALSO HEARD MU NOW HAS A NEW DRONE JOURNALISM PROGRAM.

WHAT'S THE PURPOSE OF THAT? THE JOURNALISM PROGRAM SAID IT WAS TO GIVE THEM THE ABILITYTO GO IN FLOODING AREAS WHERETHEY COULD GO OVERHEAD AND GET VIDEO OF EVENTS LIKE THAT, NOTFOR THE PURPOSE OF SPYING, BUTSIMPLY WHERE THEY COULD PUT A CAMERA UP AND VIDEOTAPE.

WITH RESPECT TO THAT ONE, THEPEOPLE PILOTING THAT DRONE, THEY WEREN'T AS SOPHISTICATED ASTHESE.

THEY WOULD HAVE TO BE WITHIN 200 OR 300 YARDS, AND IT WOULD ONLYFLY ABOUT 20 FEET IN THE AIR, SOIT'S JUST GETTING ACCESS TO MAYBE WHERE OUR HELICOPTERSWOULD.

THE CONCERN OF LEGISLATORS IS THEY MAY BE USED TO LOOK ATWHAT'S HAPPENING ON FARMS INMISSOURI OR KANSAS, AND IT'S JOURNALISTS, MAYBE LIKE A KCTV 5OR ANOTHER TV STATION USING THEMTO BE LOOKING FOR STORIES.

IT IS A CONCERN ABOUT PRIVACY.

WELL, YEAH, THERE IS ACONCERN ABOUT PRIVACY, BUT AS I WAS WALKING IN, PART OF THIS, WETALKED TO THE KANSAS NATIONALGUARD, AND WHEN I SAT DOWN TO INTERVIEW THE GENERAL, I ASKEDHIM, HOW MANY SURVEILLANCECAMERAS DID I GO THROUGH JUST TO GO FROM THE GATE AND SIT DOWNHERE AND TALK TO YOU.

SO IF YOU THINK WE'RE NOT BEING SURVEILLED, WE'RE BEINGSURVEILLED ALL THE TIME.

AND INDEED WE KNOW THAT THE EPA, KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI POLICEDEPARTMENT HAS A HELICOPTER.

ALL OF THESE THINGS ARE USED FOR SURVEILLANCE.

THEY JUST HAPPEN TO HAVE APERSON IN THEM.

THE F.

ANNOUNCING THISWEEK, TELLING A SENATE PANELTHAT, YES, THEY'VE BEEN USING THEM FOR DOMESTIC SURVEILLANCEIN THE UNITED STATES ALREADY.

COULD THEY ALREADY HAVE BEEN USED IN KANSAS AND MISSOURI?ARE WE ALREADY BEING SPIED UPON? I KEEP WONDERING WHAT IS FLYING OVER MY HOUSE.

I DO THINK THE CONCERN SAM TALKSABOUT AND STACEY, ABOUT PUBLIC USE OF DRONE AIRCRAFT IS ONECONCERN; THAT IS, POLICEDEPARTMENTS, ARMY, SAFETY PEOPLE, BUT THERE IS A WHOLEOTHER ISSUE ABOUT PRIVATE USE OFTHESE THINGS AND WHETHER OR NOT PEOPLE CAN JUST GO OUT AND BUYTHEM OFF THE SHELF AND INESSENCE FLY OVER YOUR BACKYARD BARBECUE AND ANYTHING ELSE.

I THINK THERE WILL HELEGISLATIVE ATTENTION PAID TO THAT AS WELL.

THE FAA IS WRITING RULES.

AS IT STANDS RIGHT NOW, IF THE DRONES FLY BELOW 400 FEET,PRETTY MUCH ANYBODY CAN DO IT.

IF IT'S ABOVE 400 FEET, YOU HAVE TO HAVE A PILOT'S LICENSE.

THIS IS ALL TRYING TO CONTROLTHE CIVILIAN AIRSPACE.

BUT THE FAA WILL DO NOTHINGWITH RESPECT TO PRIVACY.

THAT'S GOING TO BE A STATE BY STATE DEAL.

WHETHER OR NOT THE POLICE CANFLY OVER YOUR BACKYARD FENCE AND SEE WHAT YOU'RE DOING.

AND THE KANSAS CITY CALL HASJUST PURCHASED A DRONE? YES.

WE'RE GOING TO GET TO THEJACKSON COUNTY APPRAISAL MESS NEXT WEEK ON OUR KANSAS CITYWEEK IN REVIEW PROGRAM.

THAT IS IT FOR THIS WEEK'S SHOW.

THANKS TO OUR NEWS REVIEWERSFROM KCTV 5 STACEY CAMERON ANDTHE CALL'S ERIC WESSON.