Guest Opinion by Justin Call – Special Article Syracuse.com
Justin Call is the CEO of Modovolo, an Oneida County startup that is launching the Lift, an endlessly configurable modular drone platform of Lift Pods and Utility Pods that are clicked together like Legos to build the right drone for every application, with hours of flight time, and at a price orders of magnitude less than anything on the market. Modovolo is a finalist in the GeniusNY competition.
We at Modovolo have shamelessly promoted Syracuse and Upstate New York in a November 2024 article entitled, “Why Upstate NY is the center of the drone universe.”
Here, then, is the long-awaited sequel. It’s “The Empire Strikes Back” to “A New Hope,” “The Temple of Doom” to “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” “Top Gun II” to “Top Gun.”
And true to form, this article further shamelessly promotes our beloved city, but now Syracuse and Upstate New York are “Tomorrow Land” in the “new” drone universe.
Why the “new” drone universe? Well, this new drone universe’s creation is all about new proposed regulations released on Aug. 5, 2025, by the Federal Aviation Administration.
I admit that regulations are not the typical foundation of an exciting narrative. But bear with me. This is going somewhere.
A crowded airspace
The FAA has been working on regulations to integrate drones into the national airspace for years. Because the U.S. has the busiest and most complex airspace system in the world, this is not an easy task.
But you ask, why do we even need to integrate drones into the national airspace? Well, if all drones ever did were to take pictures of your house or perform roof inspections, you’re right. There’s no need.
But these new drone regulations aren’t about what drones are already doing today. They are all about what drones should be doing tomorrow. In Tomorrow Land.
And Tomorrow Land looks like a very cool place (not just at Disney).
The problem with Today Land
Take delivery logistics as an example. In Today Land, it means cargo vans for everything. But they’re big, add to traffic, and are mostly all diesel powered. That’s a lot of wasted energy and a lot of pollution.
The thing is, the vast majority of items delivered weigh less than 5 pounds — by some estimates, up to 86% of products that Amazon delivers, and most deliveries are 3 to 5 miles from distribution centers. And it just so happens that an all-electric drone can autonomously bring a 5-pound payload several miles.
In Tomorrow Land, drone-powered delivery systems will be far cheaper, far less polluting, and far faster than what we have in Today Land.
There are, however, a couple of problems.
First, most drones are loud. Obnoxiously loud. And annoying. Their “buzzing” is in the same frequency range as mosquitoes.
Second, getting a permit from the FAA for drone-powered deliveries has been, generally speaking, a very time-consuming, custom process with only a very small chance that the FAA would actually agree to allow it.
This way to Tomorrow Land
So how do we get to Tomorrow Land?
First, the new proposed FAA regulations will require noise limitations on drones. Second, they set a slew of standards and parameters. And, as long as those standards and parameters are met, then a permit happens. Fast and cheap.
And that means it’s possible for drone delivery companies to get a permit to operate their service.
The cool thing is that Syracuse is already in Tomorrow Land. Or, better put, Syracuse is the general contractor for Tomorrow Land.
You see, in order for those new proposed FAA regulations to work, there needs to be technology infrastructure.
There needs to be the ability to “detect and avoid” other flying objects (like airplanes). There needs to be the ability to create flight plans on defined routes. There needs to be the ability to test a drone to make sure it is safe.
And we’ve done all of this, Syracuse! We’ve already built that technology infrastructure.
The Powerhouse: It’s not just startups leading this, either. We have a powerhouse of local, established technology companies, who already play a critical role in creating Tomorrow Land — AIS, ANDRO, SRC, Saab-Sensis and many others.
“It’s all about figuring out how to manage airspace at scale, and AIS has critical technologies for detecting and understanding electronic signals that make this possible,” said Charles Green, CEO and founder of AIS.
“We have some of the most advanced drone autonomy technologies in the market today. In order for drone delivery and other long-range drone capabilities to happen, a drone needs to be able to fly autonomously and safely even when communications have been lost with the flight controller,” explained Andy Drozd, CEO and founder of ANDRO.
We’re writing the rules
The FAA knows that we have amazing expertise and that we are key thought leaders. So not only is Syracuse the general contractor, but we’ve been the author, too. That’s right: Your neighbors are the ones writing those new proposed FAA regulations.
Syracuse and Upstate NY aren’t just participants in the drone revolution. With world-class infrastructure, pioneering companies and visionary leadership, Tomorrow Land has a new address — and it’s here.
Read the full story here: Why Syracuse, Upstate NY are the Tomorrow Land of the new drone universe (Guest Opinion by Justin Call) – syracuse.com