It was a real pleasure working with both the Georgia Centers of Innovation (COI) and AREA-I to produce this video.
The COI are an integral part of the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) and its ability to help companies in Georgia grow and compete. They offer industry expertise and connections to Georgia’s vast network of business, academic and government resources.
One of the six centers is focused specifically on Aerospace. A fine example of the type of companies they assist is AREA-I. Under a supporting grant from the Center of Innovation for Aerospace, Middle Georgia College entered into a joint research & development program with AREA-I for flight testing of an advanced UAV, the Prototype Technology Evaluation Research Aircraft (PTERA), to demonstrate a wide range of cutting-edge aerospace technologies.
Through this public/private partnership, the MGC-AREA-I team has a two-year window to fly PTERA at the Middle Georgia College Aviation facilities in Eastman, Georgia. As a result, MGC is gaining valuable expertise to support the development of future UAV curriculum while AREA-I has gained additional contracts with the U.S. Department of Defense, NASA and the United States Air Force.