L-3 Link, university establish training center for domestic drone pilots.

• Position: Homeland Security News

* There may be a day when remotely piloted aircraft regularly ply the skies above the United States.

In anticipation of that day, L-3 Link Simulation & Training and the University of North Dakota in June are opening an unmanned aerial systems training center at Grand Forks Air Force Base, N.D.

L-3 Link, which provides MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper simulators for the military, believes there will be a demand for domestic drone pilots who will need pilot certification, said Jeff Schram, director of business development at the Arlington, Texas-based company.

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"The Federal Aviation Administration is going to have a certification process, and that keeps getting closer and closer," he said in an interview. Originally, the agency talked about putting a UAS certification process in place by 2019. The latest word is that may happen as soon as 2013 or 2014, he added.

L-3 Link decided there was a business opportunity, and chose UND as its partner. The university has a robust aeronautics program that graduates students with certifications. It has some 130 aircraft at its disposal as teaching tools and conducts research into unpiloted aircraft systems. It also offers a major...