Christopher Hewlett, Project ULTRA and Tom Swoyer, GrandSky | Dawn of Autonomy | Episode 59

February 12, 2025 | Dawn Zoldi

Join us this week on The Dawn of Autonomy with Tom Swoyer Jr., President of GrandSKY, and Chris Hewlett, Director of Project ULTRA (UAS Logistics, Traffic, Response, Autonomy), as “Data-Driven Ops” month continues, sponsored by Airspace Link. Tom’s efforts have significantly contributed to North Dakota’s robust flight test, regulatory and operational UAS ecosystem. Chris, a retired Navy commander, brings 30 years of expertise in aviation operations, safety, modernization, system optimization for next-generation aviation systems and evaluating both developing and deployed aviation command and control systems.

GrandSKY, the first commercial UAS flight test and operations center in the U.S., leads UAS research, demonstration, testing, and training. It provides 11,000 square miles of beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) airspace and supports Class 1 through Class 5 UAS. A cooperative agreement with Grand Forks Air Force Base gives tenants access to its 12,351-foot runway. Tune in to learn how their civilian-controlled airspace ensures real-world data collection.

This episode kicks off a four-part “Enabling Aerospace Innovations” series that explores GrandSKY’s role in advancing technology.