Virginia Department of Aviation

Apple Blossom Fly-In

During the Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival
Winchester, Virginia
April 30, 2022
9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

On behalf of the Virginia Unmanned Systems Center at VIPC, the Virginia Department of Aviation (DOAV), the City of Winchester, and lead private partner ATA LLC, we would like to invite you to the Shenandoah Apple Blossom Fly-In. The “Fly-In” is a demonstration involving small Unmanned Aerial Systems (sUAS) being operated by multiple state, local and commercial organizations. The goal is to conduct a demonstration of the feasibility and safety of the federated UTM (Uncrewed Aircraft Systems Traffic Management) Model and show how these different entities can work together and operate in the same airspace simultaneously performing a variety of functions. In Virginia, the heart of this “coordination” activity is the Virginia Flight Information Exchange (VA-FIX) and Winchester is on track to be one of the first “Drone Ready Communities” in America.

Please join us anytime between 9am and 5pm, Saturday, April 30th.  On the day of the event, please join us at the Fly-In’s information tent next to the parade reviewing stand. There, you will learn more about the Fly-in, the participants, and the event goals. You will see VA-FIX live as it captures and displays the activities. From there, it’s off to “Aviation Alley” where several of the participants will have display tables. And, if you visit them all, you will qualify for a sponsored lunch delivered by a drone.     

Organizations who are playing an important role in making the Fly-in happen are the Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation (VIPC), the Department of Aviation (DOAV), VA Department of Emergency Management (VDEM), VA State Police (VSP), City of Harrisonburg Fire Department, City of Winchester Emergency Management, Winchester Regional Airport (OKV), Aloft, ATA LLC, DroneUP, Droneresponders, NX Aviation, and Trisdom Consulting.

Have you ever attended the Apple Blossom Festival in Winchester, Virginia? You can get more information about the festival and all the events at thebloom.com.

Looking forward to seeing you there!