Clearing the Air in a Changing Airspace

As unmanned aircraft technology advances, regulation is often left to play catch-up — a gap Greyson Orne has built his academic path around understanding. 

A double major in Unmanned Aircraft Systems Operations and Political Science at the University of North Dakota, Greyson has combined technical aviation experience with public policy training, preparing for a future where innovation, regulation and national security increasingly overlap.

Greyson initially transferred to UND as a commercial aviation major but changed course after an internship with UND’s Northern Plains UAS Test Site exposed him to the complexity behind unmanned aircraft operations.

“What really stood out to me wasn’t just the technology,” he said. “It was how many unanswered questions there still were — why certain operations weren’t allowed, why some things worked on paper but not in practice. It really showed me how difficult it is to integrate unmanned systems into national airspace.”

UND has been incredibly supportive of my interdisciplinary path. Everyone was readily available to help me push that to success.

Working with unmanned aircraft soon showed him that answering those questions requires more than technical skill — it demands constant navigation of the regulatory landscape.

At the test site, Greyson began working directly within the systems that regulate unmanned aircraft operations, from operating under strict FAA requirements to navigating complex authorization and waiver processes.“

The other aspect of operations is how do we get authorization to do this? Why can we do this? Why can others not do this?” he said. “That experience and exposure to writing authorization requests, or requests for waivers from the FAA, has been really crucial in informing what problems exist.” 

Pursuing two majors housed in very different academic departments could have been a challenge elsewhere, but Greyson credits UND with making the path both possible and purposeful. Rather than asking him to choose between technical training and public service, UND encouraged him to do both. 

“UND has been incredibly supportive of my interdisciplinary path,” Greyson said. “Once I made that interest clear, everyone was readily available to help me push that to success.” 

That support extended well beyond course requirements. Faculty in both programs recognized Greyson’s interest in aviation regulation and helped him tailor projects and long-term planning to support it. “My capstone project is about UAS, but it’s a political science capstone,” he said. “I’m able to use that political science background to tie it in with my UAS degree, and UND has made that really seamless.” 

This combination of hands-on experience and academic flexibility has helped Greyson stand out on a national level. Through UND’s hands-on programs and close faculty mentorship, he gained the ability to approach complex policy challenges with both technical expertise and practical perspective. That background proved instrumental as he pursued nationally competitive opportunities, including work on national security issues in Washington, D.C., where his experience in unmanned aircraft systems positioned him to contribute in unique ways. 

Greyson’s time working in the nation’s capital further clarified his interest in creating cohesion between aviation innovation and regulation. Surrounded by national-level policy conversations, he gained firsthand exposure to how the United States responds to emerging threats tied to aviation technologies. 

UND has positioned me really well to lead in national-level conversations. 

“It was an incredibly valuable experience to see how the U.S. responds to national security threats and critical national security interests,” he said. That experience reinforced the need for regulations that can keep up with how quickly technology is advancing. 

Working alongside interns from institutions across the country gave Greyson an additional perspective on what set his academic experience apart. Many of his peers came from universities with long-established policy pipelines, yet his interdisciplinary education stood out.

“A lot of my co-interns were from Ivy League institutions,” he said. “But I did specifically get the job because of my unique background in UAS. And that’s something that only UND was able to offer.” 

Now, as Greyson looks ahead to his career — with plans to eventually attend law school — he sees UND as the foundation that made this path possible. “UND has positioned me really well to lead in national-level conversations,” he said. “Knowing that the institution has your back and wants you to succeed makes it a lot easier to push yourself further.” 

And for Greyson, that support has turned curiosity into clarity and academic ambition into a defined sense of purpose.