Andrews – Have you seen a low-flying commercial plane fly overhead in the last week or two?
That was a specially modified commercial Boeing 737-800 Prototype Aircraft testing new aviation technology by AerSale.
Western Carolina Regional Airport Manager Gayland Trull said he was contacted by the company for permission to do the low-flying passes around the airport. Trull said the company chose the airport in Andrews and another in Blairsville, Ga., for the open valley surrounded by the mountains.
The technology tested is part of the AerAware Enhanced Flight Vision System according to aersale.com. It enables pilots to “see” in low-visibility conditions via a head wearable display.
Trull said the system is similar to the Heads Up Display system used in automobiles that project things like the car’s speed and mileage on the windshield.
AerSale is based in Phoenix and operates out of Cobb County in Marietta, Ga. The company tested the Boeing 737 in the area from March 22-24, making eight passes total with two at night.
The large aircraft could be seen flying low throughout the county and passing toward Blairsville, Trull said.
“We had a lot of responses from locals wondering what that big airplane was doing flying into our airport,” he said. “The pilots were really good with the radio telling us where they were.”
Trull said AerSale is expected to return to the area, but the details haven’t been finalized yet.