On March 20, 2018, the global Unmanned Cargo Aircraft Conference took place at North Carolina Global TransPark, USA. This 6th edition of the Unmanned Cargo Aircraft conference organized by Jakajima was hosted by North Carolina Global TransPark and supported by US Cargo Systems.
The Conference brought together manufacturers, operators, knowledge institutes, consultants and government organizations active in the upcoming field of unmanned cargo aircraft to share the status of the latest developments and trends in the field.
Fast-growing start-ups active in the field, such as LUCA Air, Elroy Air, Sabrewing Aircraft, Dronamics, Romaeris & more were present at the conference to discuss the topics in focus. Furthermore, the Vladimir Zubkov, Secretary General, The International Air Cargo Association (TIACA) touched on the potential and challenges of unmanned aircraft for cargo, while the presentation of Kyle Snyder, NextGen Air Transportation Consortium Director, NGAT Consortium at North Carolina State University approached specifically the integration of UAS for Healthcare Package Delivery in North Carolina. The complete program included 14 speakers from international well-known companies, associations and start-ups. Media coverage of the event
Below you can find the full program of the conference
Mar 19 – Networking dinner at Restaurant King’s Eastern NC Style BBQ – More info
Mar 20 – Unmanned Aircraft Conference – Program; Reception
Mar 21 – US Cargo Systems Site Tour – More info
09:00 AM | 09:30 AM |
Welcome and registration |
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9:30 AM | 9:35 AM | ![]() |
Moderator: Pieter Hermans, Matchmaker for Innovators, Jakajima | ![]() |
9:35 AM | 9:45 AM |
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OFFICIAL OPENING by Allen M. Thomas, Executive Director, North Carolina Global TransPark, USA | ![]() |
9:45 AM | 10:15 AM |
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Christopher Spagnoletti, Director of Sales & Business Development, US Cargo Systems, USA, More information | ![]() |
10:15 AM | 10:45 AM | ![]() |
Vladimir Zubkov, Secretary General, The International Air Cargo Association (TIACA), Canada, on “Unmanned aircraft for cargo – potential and challenges”, More information | ![]() |
10:45 AM | 11:00 AM |
Coffee Break and visit expo |
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11:00 AM | 11:30 AM | ![]() |
Mark Patrick Collins, Founder, LUCA Air, United States, on “The future market for Large Unmanned Cargo Aircraft in the national airspace system”, More information; Read the interview | |
11:30 AM | 12:00 AM | ![]() |
Hans Heerkens, Assistant Professor, University of Twente / Chairman, Platform Unmanned Cargo Aircraft, The Netherlands, More information | ![]() |
12:00 AM | 00:30 PM | ![]() |
Zhen Zhu, Assistant Professor, East Carolina University, on “Improving the Safety of Autonomous Operations of Small Unmanned Vehicles in Urban Areas”, More information |
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00:30 PM | 01:30 PM |
Lunch break and visit expo |
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01:30 PM | 02:00 PM | ![]() |
Kyle Snyder, NextGen Air Transportation Consortium Director, NGAT Consortium at North Carolina State University, USA, on “Integrating UAS for Healthcare Package Delivery in North Carolina”, More information; Read the interview | ![]() |
02:00 PM | 02:30 PM | ![]() |
David Merrill, CEO / Co-Founder, Elroy Air, USA, on ‘technical and commercial aspects of the autonomous air cargo logistics system’, More information | ![]() |
02:30 PM | 03:00 PM | ![]() |
Hiroshi Irie, COO, SkyWings Inc, Japan, on “World and Japan drone market”, More information; Read the interview | ![]() |
03:00 PM | 03:15 PM | ![]() |
Ed De Reyes, CEO / Co-Founder, Sabrewing Aircraft, on “Unmanned Cargo Air Vehicles Are Closer Than You Think”, More information |
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03:15 PM | 03:45 PM |
Lunch break and visit expo |
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03:45 PM | 04:15 PM | ![]() |
Anthony Pizarro, President, Romaeris Corporation, Canada, on “The Economics of Unmanned Cargo Aircraft”, More information; Read the interview | ![]() |
04:15 PM | 04:45 PM | ![]() |
Chris Kucera, Director of Strategic Partnerships, OneSky, USA, on “Unmanned Aircraft Systems Traffic Management (UTM)”, More information; Read the interview | ![]() |
04:45 PM | 05:15 PM | ![]() |
Henrik Christophersen, President, True Flight Technology Inc., USA, on “UAC Operations – Modeling Costs and Profit”, More information | ![]() |
05:15 PM | 05:30 PM | ![]() |
Svilen Rangelov, Co-Founder, Dronamics, Bulgaria | ![]() |
05:30 PM |
End of the ConferenceReception at Kinston Country Club, More information |