Silicon Valley has it's strengths, but it can't be ground zero for everything.
Honestly, if the NUMI plant wasn't in Fremont, I could see the majority of Tesla being not in the bay area (one could argue the battery plant in NV is such a shift).
Southern California has Mojave Air and Space Port, which is, among other things, a flight test center for civilian aircraft. Scaled Composites flies from there, and SpaceShip One was launched from there for the X-Prize. They have a test pilot school. Lots of exotic aircraft activity takes place there. Read their "Why Test Here" section.[1] Three of their features: "Welcoming attitude toward imagination and experimentation", "Huge airspace away from populated urban areas", and "Should you ever need it, a sophisticated Aerospace Rescue and FireFighting operation". This is useful for larger or longer-ranged drones. QF-4 drones, converted from F-4 fighters, are built and tested there.
I also wonder if Nevada's climate would make it a better choice too. The Dakotas have some of the most extreme weather in the US - hot summers, frigid winters, severe thunderstorms, and wind - there were a lot of windy days when I lived in North Dakota. Would days with subzero high temps and 30 MPH sustained winds be a useful environment for drones?
One thing that really seemed to help the Silicon Valley get started was how away it was from everything - particularly the establishment on the east coast. I do wonder if the next big thing will be started somewhere that is similarly away from Silicon Valley - somewhere no one would expect, like North Dakota.
The extreme weather (hot, cold, windy, etc.) is a bonus for drone testing since they have to operate in those conditions in the real world.
(Also, good luck getting your experimental UAV back when it mysteriously goes down over Area 51...)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmD3rXUR1Tw
The supply of idiots seems limitless.
(That drama was made with the total cooperation of ANA, and the aviation details are accurate.)
Also tons of near by land and open ocean, as well as NASA and government contracting engineers already co-located and a bunch of other great universities nearby or with satellite campuses in and around Orlando / Daytona.
Being able to fly 365 days a year helps too.
Realistically, the Pacific Ocean and insanely high concentration of engineers in sv seems like the most likely place for long-term drone innovation.
Article is behind paywall.
