By Pablo Rodeiro Rañales.
The
Rozas Aerodrome is a private aerodrome in the municipality of Castro
de Rey, about eight kilometres from the town of Lugo in the north of
Galicia, Spain.
It
was opened on 4th June, 1943. It is generally intended for sports
aviation. The ground where it's installed belongs to the Ministry of
Defence, but the airdrome is managed by the Royal Flying Club in
Lugo.
The
aerodrome was built by the Germans during the Second World War, with
the purpose of providing quick maintenance to the antennas of the
radio beacon Consol.
Once
the battle was finished, the airdrome was recognized as an
exceptional place for the creation of a larger airport. It was an
airbase for some time, where there was a military garrison for
aviation troops. In 1949, Rozas Aerodrome became the Central Airport
in Galicia and it kept this status for 2 years , while the Santiago
de Compostela airport was being built.
In
1953, the Air Force decided to dismantle it and considered its
closure and complete dismantling. The aerodrome fell into oblivion
for a long time.
A
few years ago, AGE (the General State Administration) accused Feijóo
(the president of the Xunta de Galicia, autonomous region) of trying
to convert the aerodrome into a strategic military point after its
decay. AGE also accused Feijóo of carrying out military drones tests
at the aerodrome.
But
things have changed quite a lot and reality today is very different.
Rozas Aerodrome will host the Mixed Investigation Centre for unmanned
aircrafts (civil drones) called CIAR. It will become the head centre
of INTA (the National Institute for Aerospace Technology) in Spain,
for the constrution of drones for civil use, with a planned
investement of ten million euros. Its installations will spread over
a surface of 370 hectares. When the centre becomes operational, 50
direct jobs will be created and all of them will require high
qualification, announced the Xunta de Galicia in 2014-2015.
The
project was initially approved in May 1015 but it wasn't until
February 2016 that the associates that would contribute to the
implementation of the project were chosen. The process started in
July 2015 with 9 firms competing, amonsgst which we could mention
Airbus and Boeing. But the final decision turned towards the Spanish
side and the Spanish firm Indra, together with the Spanish firm with
British owners Inaer were the ones elected.
The
initial planned investment of ten million by the Xunta de Galicia has
increased to 40 million euros while the associates will invest 75
million and the number of jobs created, between direct and indirect
will come up to 600. The president of the Xunta de Galicia claims
that this is a strategic project which will bring a new industrial
net to the region, diversificating its potential towards more
specialized fields in the world of technology.
But
it's not just Galicia the region which is interested in this new
field. In Andalusia, there is already another operating aerodrome in
Jaén, and, at Flight Training Europe (in Jerez), the biggest pilot
school in Europe, they've launched courses to pilot drones as well.
At the same time, the University of Cádiz, has started offering the
degree of 'Drone university expert and related civil roles', which is
partly face-to-face and partly online and, through which, you can get
the license to pilot drones as well.
Rozas
Aerodrome will probably start working by next summer but won't be
fully operative until 2020. They are planning to design unmanned
helicopters and aeroplanes which will aim at fighting against illegal
hunting, prevention and extinction of fires, maritime rescue,
protection of patrimony, study of tourist aspects, etc. Both public
and private funds contribute to the project. On the public side: the
Department of Economy and Industry, the Ministry of Economy and
Competitivity and the Ministry of Defence, via the INTA. Their goal
is to encourage an inititiave which will allow Galicia to set itself
as the reference technological axis in the aircraft industry in a
world where the drone industry is growing at a very fast pace.
FONTS:
https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aer%C3%B3dromo_de_Rozas
http://www.lavozdegalicia.es/temas/aerodromo-de-rozas
http://www.abc.es/espana/galicia/abci-proyecto-rozas-echa-andar-201603031053_noticia.html
PHOTOGRAPHS:
Snow:
http://www.drones-argentina.com.ar/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/drones_20130807-Drones_busqueda_y_rescate.jpg
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