Influenced by his dad, Chris Busutil flew his first remote control airplane more than 30 years ago at the age of four.
“If it flies, I like it,” said Chris.
He’s especially fond of the 1940s-era Boeing Stearman PT-17 that serves as the centerpiece of Raspet's manned aircraft fleet.
“It has two wings, a radial engine, and it makes a beautiful noise,” said Chris.
The vintage aircraft continues to be used at Raspet today as a towing and experimental flight-testing aircraft which means it requires regular aircraft maintenance.
That’s where you can normally find Chris who is working to become a certified airframe and powerplant mechanic.
“Most days, you can find me in the shop,” said Chris. “I enjoy anything that’s hands-on.”
Chris joined Raspet in November after working with NAVMAR Applied Sciences Corporation, the original equipment manufacturer of Teros, the largest, most sophisticated uncrewed aircraft in academic use.
With its 600-pound payload and 24-hour flight endurance, Teros can be equipped with a 4G LTE cellular system for use in disaster response or other emergency scenarios. It is also expected to be the first UAS of its kind to become type certified by the Federal Aviation Administration, which would allow it to operate alongside manned aircraft.
In his role at Raspet, Chris also pilots a remote-control aircraft that is being used to measure on-board pilot visual performance in seeing other aircraft in the airspace. The research collected will to be used to verify and validate performance standards for Detect and Avoid (DAA) systems for uncrewed aircraft systems and air mobility operations.
Raspet Flight Research Laboratory is the nation’s leading academic research center dedicated to the advancement of uncrewed aircraft systems. Raspet is the only institute in the world designated both as the FAA’s UAS Safety Research Facility and as official UAS Test Sites for both the FAA and the Department of Homeland Security, placing the research center at the helm of studying and developing UAS safety and certification standards. Home to a fleet of the largest and most capable unmanned aircraft in academic use, Raspet conducts UAS research on behalf of federal agencies and commercial industry partners, helping grow Mississippi’s aerospace sector.
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