Logan County had not finalized drone-show launch site Tuesday
Ten days before the scheduled July 31 show, commissioners were considering land north of the fairgrounds but had not confirmed permission, safety arrangements or where spectators would watch.
Logan County had not finalized a launch site for its July 31 drone show as of Tuesday, after officials ruled out a high-school parking lot because it is needed for fair parking and raised safety concerns.
At the Logan County commissioners’ July 21 work session, officials discussed open land north of the fairgrounds, apparently in an area associated with Northeastern Junior College. Staff were directed to contact NJC, Quince Farm and the show organizers. The record does not show final site approval, landowner permission or a commission vote.
Officials still needed to determine whether crops, including alfalfa, could be damaged by a falling drone or create a fire risk, and how the site would affect nearby horse stalls and access through the field. They also discussed having spectators leave the grandstands or move into the arena for a view to the north. No final spectator location, road closure, traffic-control plan or parking arrangement was identified.
The meeting record also did not identify any specific FAA authorization or waiver, or local fire, emergency-response or land-use approvals. FAA Part 107 rules address issues that can apply depending on the operator’s plan and airspace, including night operations, visual line of sight, operations over people and moving vehicles, and airspace authorization.
The county’s next steps were to determine whether the north-of-the-fairgrounds location could be used and how attendees could safely watch the show.