As the Langlade County Board of Supervisors meeting was winding down, the supervisors heard from Don Bintz, an Antigo resident who is CEO of Unmanned Systems Incorporated, a company that provides drone services for the United States military.
Josh and Amanda Walker who currently run the airport will be moving to Indiana shortly and the facility will be without a tenant. Bentz approached the county board about allowing his company to use the airport for training of his employees. The company is licensed to go only one mile from the launch sight.
Bintz also mentioned their ability to help law enforcement in some circumstances, as well as radar detection to tell farmers where specifically to spray chemicals or find other problems in the fields.
County board members mentioned some citizens might feel uneasy about a drone flying overhead, fearing their privacy might be invaded. Bentz tried assuring them by saying, "Some of the stuff you hear. That's not us. We work directly with the federal government. We're out there trying to get bad guys. We don't have the time to be spying on people."
Bintz said the timetable might be two years, but he estimated they would hire 80 individuals in Antigo to run the operation.
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