The University of Hawaii — in the news for its management role and the Mauna Kea/Thirty Meter Telescope standoff — is once again setting its sights to the skies, this time over Lanai.
鲍贬鈥檚 thinks Lanai can become a global avionics center in the next five years, assembling and shipping giant drones that will .
The first step of RC鲍贬鈥檚 HAPS (high altitude pseudo satellite) Project is launching a solar-powered, unmanned drone with a wing span of 260 feet — called the — from agricultural land on Lanai and flying it over the island at 65,000 feet to 80,000 feet for 30 days.
They鈥檝e already built a hangar for the drone, and RC鲍贬鈥檚 Ted Ralston, on loan from 鲍贬鈥檚 , told those attending a July 17 workshop on Lanai they want the Hawk30 up by October.
Ralston acknowledged the hangar went up in June without waiting for government requested in May 鈥渞ealizing permission will have to follow behind.鈥 (Maui County eventually granted RCUH exemptions from both building and electrical requirements in July.)
Why the rush? Because 鈥渃ommercial sponsors have to see progress,鈥 Ralston said.
George Purdy, a 20-year firefighter at Lanai鈥檚 airport who takes credit for the island鈥檚 selection as a testing ground and putting the HAPS team together, agreed: 鈥淟anai had to show the commercial sponsor capacity.鈥
The commercial sponsor they鈥檙e referring to is , a company formed to build the Hawk30 by Japanese tech giant and California-based, unmanned aircraft systems manufacturer . Ralston said HAPS Mobile is paying RCUH through a support services contract.
Both insisted the speed with which they鈥檙e moving is justified.
鈥淭here鈥檚 no other place in the U.S. this could work鈥 and moving too slowly, Ralston warned, means Lanai could see 鈥渋t all go away鈥 to another country like Australia, where Airbus is developing another high-altitude drone, the .
One Phase Or Three
Although Ralston insists RCUH only wants a one-time, one-month test flight, he was clearly selling the full scale of HAPS鈥 operations at the July workshop on Lanai, impacts of which could affect the island for years.
Low-altitude testing is ongoing at NASA鈥檚 in California, after which Ralston said the drone ships to Lanai for its high-altitude flight. Forty imported specialists would monitor operations from trailers at an air field already being prepared on former pineapple fields next to the hangar in Lanai鈥檚 Palawai Basin.
If the drone gets up and stays up, Phase 2 involves more Lanai flights, using up to five drones, to obtain FAA certification 鈥渦nder rules that don鈥檛 yet exist,鈥 Ralston admitted.
鈥淭his is like the Wright Brothers,鈥 he said, 鈥渋t鈥檚 never been done before.鈥
Phase 3 could begin in 2023, when RCUH envisions sending drones assembled on Lanai throughout the equatorial belt, although Ralston conceded Lanai鈥檚 selection for commercial operations is up to HAPS Mobile.
Before the July workshop even began 5G was off the table, in response to hundreds of emails Lanai鈥檚 Planning Commission received objecting to the potential increase in wireless radiation. Ralston promised 5G won鈥檛 come back until Lanai wants it.
鈥淥verhead long-endurance proof of concept and connection to dead spots鈥 are Phase 1鈥檚 primary objectives and Ralston said this can be done with 4G.
Those supporting the project, hoping for increased cell coverage, will be disappointed. Ralston said they鈥檇 need an FCC license and handoff protocols from cell phone providers, which they don鈥檛 have.
Permits And Promises
Because prohibits airport operations on ag lands, many expected RCUH to seek a permit which could telecommunications on land zoned for agriculture.
The RCUH filed on June 19 with Maui County鈥檚 Planning Department asked for a 鈥渦se determination鈥 instead, which means it had to make a one-time experimental flight into something about agriculture.
So RCUH proposed planting UH-provided sensors in Lanai鈥檚 inaccessible Maunalei Valley, from which the Hawk30 would collect watershed data. This might satisfy communicating with 鈥渄ead spots鈥 RCUH hopes to achieve, but it wasn鈥檛 clear how data collected for a mere 30 days from a remote valley many miles away will contribute to long-term ag use on the ag land it wants to use, and Ralston admitted data-sharing agreements with the landowner haven鈥檛 been worked out.
鈥淭his is like the Wright Brothers, it鈥檚 never been done before.鈥 — Ted Ralston, University of Hawaii
RCUH also suggested the HAPS Project could contribute to education for Lanai students, but not how it would be funded or how lasting an educational program centered on one 30-day flight might be. Lanai High鈥檚 STEM teacher David Parman said so far the agreement with RCUH is 鈥渁 handshake.鈥
Decision Making
Now that 5G is gone, RCUH will have to revise its application and send it back to the L膩na鈥榠 Planning Commission. RCUH will also have to respond to concerns over radiation, safety, and privacy that surfaced at the July workshop, including whether environmental review under HRS Ch. is triggered.
鈥淚f any public funds are involved you should be asking yourselves, why no environmental assessment?鈥 Riki Hokama, Lanai鈥檚 County Council representative told the commission.
If RCUH argues environmental review isn鈥檛 warranted because only private funds (from HAPS Mobile) are being used on private land (billionaire Larry Ellison owns 98% of Lanai), then Hokama thinks RCUH wasn鈥檛 eligible for the government exemptions it got from the county in the first place.
Ralston wouldn鈥檛 say how much RC鲍贬鈥檚 service contract is worth 鈥 鲍贬鈥檚 Applied Research Lab has drawn criticism for opaque operations in the past — but it鈥檚 worth noting HAPS Mobile has funding of and NASA will be reimbursed聽$791,566 for services it鈥檚 providing in California.
Planning commissions can impose conditions to permit approvals: perhaps Lanai鈥檚 should seek firmer commitments and funding for the promised STEM efforts and explore benefits for the Lanai community for the risks it鈥檚 assuming.
After all, Lanaians would have to live under the massive drone for a month — if not more — and it鈥檚 no secret AeroVironment鈥檚 Helios near Kauai in 2003. A second drone, the Global Observer, in 2011.
Getting the Hawk30 into the stratosphere by October just might be a heavy lift.
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