Raspet pilot Sean Meacham decided to become a pilot while he was serving in the Air National Guard as an aircraft mechanic. More than a decade later, he’s now training first responders to become more proficient in piloting small uncrewed aircraft systems (sUAS) when responding to a disaster or other emergency scenario.
“As pilots, we have a shared responsibility to protect our air space,” said Meacham. “This training allows us to share our knowledge and experiences to support first responders and improve their response capabilities as the use of small UAS increases.”
Sean also pilots small UAS for Raspet as part of a five-year, $18.7 million contract with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to scout, evaluate and test emerging UAS technologies.
A licensed private pilot and certified airframe and powerplant mechanic, Sean began his career at Mississippi State in 2014. He joined our team at Raspet in 2021. Sean holds a bachelor’s degree in applied science from Mississippi State University, and he is pursuing his master's degree in business administration.
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.
Mississippi State University is taking care of what matters. Learn more at www.msstate.edu.