# News Source Record

**L-Ne / Open-source news extract** — Original media coverage of unmanned aerial systems.

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Collection date | 2 November 2015 |
| Platform | Quiet Systems |
| Data label | Open-source news record // LRRK collection product |
| Handling | Public-source material. Image rights require separate verification before publication. |
| Scale | Local |
| Language | English |
| Terms matched | drone; drones; unmanned aerial systems; UAS; unauthorized UAVs |

## Bibliographic

| Field | Value |
| Outlet | The Denver Post |
| Title | Colorado's San Luis Valley lands new drone flight test site |
| Dateline | 2 November 2015 — Laura Keeney |
| First publisher | yes |
| Original URL | https://www.denverpost.com/2015/11/02/colorados-san-luis-valley-lands-new-drone-flight-test-site/ |
| Archive URL | — |
| Dedup key | 2015-11-02|denverpost|san-luis-valley-faa-uas-test-site |
| Source grade | A1 |

## Record

**Verified extract — [Fact — A1]** Laura Keeney reported FAA approval for an 8,000-square-mile unmanned aerial systems test site in Colorado's San Luis Valley, hubbed at Leach Airport in Center, led by UAS Colorado, the University of Colorado and six counties. CU aerospace professor Brian Argrow said drones would be tested for endurance, ease of operation and instruments, including high-altitude search-and-rescue in surrounding mountains. Authorization with Denver ARTCC in Longmont allowed flights up to 15,000 feet. First two test aircraft were Colorado-made: the 120-pound Hummingbird by Reference Technologies (Lafayette) and a smaller Black Swift Technologies (Boulder) craft with up to 8 lb payload. CEA forecast about 700,000 holiday recreational-drone sales and a 2015 U.S. market near $105 million (+52 percent vs 2014). Between 19 June and 30 September unauthorized UAVs were spotted at or near Denver International Airport seven times, some to 3,660 feet, one within 500 feet of an approaching aircraft. FAA had announced on 19 October that registration would soon be required. PrecisionHawk's LATAS (Verizon LTE, Harris SAT, DigitalGlobe) was under FAA/NASA review.

**Kinematic object.** CU/consortium UAS at Leach Airport; 120-lb Hummingbird; Black Swift up to 8 lb payload; unauthorized UAVs near DEN.

**Coverage frame.** industry / regulatory / incident

## Source integrity

- Why this is treated as an original: Denver Post local original with Argrow interview, named Colorado airframes, and DEN unauthorized-UAV counts.
- Wire reprint status: Not a wire reprint.
- What was excluded: Later permanent Part 107 and the registration website launch.

## LRRK relevance

Lab / Watch / Passport. High-altitude mountain test range plus documented DEN approach incursions.

*LRRK — security assurance for systems that sense, move, and act.*

L-Ne