Past Projects
FEMA disaster response to Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Ike and the 2010 Nashville floods
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security, whose promary purpose is to coordinate the response to disasters that overwhelm local and state resources. Hurricane Katrina was one of the deadlist and the costisest natural disaster to hit the United States, which ravaged coastal towns along the Lousiana, Mississippi, and Alabama gulf coast in 2005. In 2001, Hurricane Ike made landfall along the Texas coast and was the costliest hurricane in Texas history and the third in United States history. The 2010 Nashville floods were a 1000-year flood that resulted in a number of deaths and widespread property damage. For all of these events, FEMA requested imagery of these sites due to the severe nature of these storms, having large economic impacts on these regions. Air Ameica Flight Center aircraft, using imaging vendor's state-of-the-art sensors, were tasked to acuire data for these missions. Air America Flight Center was able to respond to these disaster areas within hours of the request from FEMA, complete the missions within 24 hours of being assigned, and get the data to the imaging vendors so they could provide FEMA with vital data needed for immediate damage assesment.
Port-Au-Prince, Haiti earthquake damage assessment
The 2010 Haiti earthquake was a catastrophic 7.0 magnitude quake with an epicenter near Port-Au-Prince. It was estmated that three million people were affected by this earthquake. Pictometry International requested that Air America Flight Center provide an aerial platform so this area could be mapped. Air America Flight Center handled all of the coordination and logistics of this project, such as international airspace regulations and where to locate the aircraft in an area with severe infrastructure damage, and was able to acquire the data in a relatively short amount of time.
Chicago, Houston, Miami, Los Angeles, New York City, and other major U.S. cities
Air America Flight Center is often called upon to acquire data for large municipalities, such as Houston shown above. These missions present major challenges to coordinate, due to the large volume of traffic flow and Federal Aviation Adminstration (FAA) airspace regulations. Air America Flight Center staff members regularly work with FAA agencies that allows the aerial imaging piilot to coordinate with air traffic control to work in these busy airspaces.
Massive county-area projects, including collaboration with the Los Angeles Region Imagery Acquisition Consortium (LARIAC)
As with large metropolitan areas, entire counties are beginning to recognize the importance of aerial imagery to help better serve their policy-makers. Air America Flight Center has worked with multiple county agencies to produce their requested product. These massive county missions take a great deal of coordination and experience, which Air America Flight Center imaging pilots are trained specificly for.
Trans Canada Pipeline
The importance of corridor mapping is fast becoming recognized as an important method of providing policy-makers with the geospatial data they require for many of their projects. Air America Flight Center imaging pilots are trained to deal with the more precise flying required for corridor mapping over wide-area mapping missions. Large projects in the United States, such as the Trans Canada Pipeline, are becoming a more common utilization of Air America Flight Center's resources.
Washington D.C. ADIZ, including the United States Marine Corps Base, Quantico, VA
It can be argued that for a civilian pilot, the Washginton D.C. Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) is the most challenging airspace to coordinate a data acquistion mission. Air America Flight Center has successfully coordinated missions into these otherwise restricted airspaces. Air America Flight Center's imagery pilots know the regulations and the government agencies to contact, how to navigate the ADIZ without breaking airspace rules, and most importantly how to coordinate all of this day in and day out.
United States Army coordination, such as White Sands Missile Range
Not only do county and federal-level government agencies request aerial data, but so does the military. The Department of Defense contracts out many aerial survey missions to civilian imaging vendors. Air America Flight Center is requested by such vendors on an almost yearly basis to collect aerial imagery of sensitive sites, such as the White Sands Missile Range shown above. The Department of the Army has consistantly allowed Air America Flight Center aircraft fly these sensitive missions. Air America Flight Center has great flexiblity and the understanding of such sensitive military sites, which is a major reason why these missions are approved for data acquisition by the Department of Defense.
United States Air Force coordination, such as Aberdeen, Edwards, and Eglin Air Force Base
The Department of the Air Force also contracts aerial survey missions to civilians. Air America Flight Center has imaged many Department of the Air Force sites, such as Eglin Air Force Base shown above.
Mount Rushmore
National parks and historic landmarks are not exempt from the aerial imaging data demands of many government agencies and policy-makers. Air America Flight Center has had the privilege to be able to map these important sites, such as Mount Rushmore shown above.
Department of Energy, Idaho National Laboratory (INL) project in Idaho Falls, ID
Air America Flight Center is listend among the Department of Energy's approved vendors - a rare feat for small-aircraft providers. Air America Flight Center collects aerial imagery for the Department of Energy, such as the Idaho national Laboratory, on a recurring schedule.
NASA coordination with Cape Canaveral
Located in Daytona Beach, Florida, Air America Flight Center pilots are very familiar with NASA operations at Cape Canaveral, being less than an hour flight away. Air America Flight Center keeps close contact with Cape Canaveral officials, as well as many other government officials, to ensure that entering these restricted airspaces can be done. Air America Flight Center images Cape Canaveral, shown above, yearly.
Rum Cay, Bahamas
Air America Flight Center's imaging capabilities are not restricted only to the United States. Air America Flight Center has been tasked international missions, such as the Rum Cay, Bahamas shown above, and most recently in 2013 imaging the Wood Buffalo National Park in Alberta, Canada. These international sorties require a whole nother level of coordination and experience, which a growing Air America Flight Center is successfully developing.