RPAS 2012 – FAA Reports on Progress on UAS Integration into the National Airspace System

On the second day of UVS International’s RPAS 2012 Conference in Paris on June 5 – 7, Rick Prosek, Manager of the Federal Aviation Administration’s Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration Office, USA, will give an update on the FAA’s programme of  UAS Integration into the National Airspace System entitled “ Current UAS Operations in the National Airspace System and the Research and Development Horizon”.

Richard J. Prosek has served as the Manager of the FAA’s Unmanned Aircraft Program Office (UA PO), AFS-407, since January 2010. His past FAA experience includes: acting Deputy Division Manager for the Flight Technologies and Procedures Division, Chairman of the ICAO Operations Panel and duty as the Designated Federal Official for the All Weather Operations Harmonization Working Group. Mr. Prosek has 43 years of aviation experience, including 33 years of commissioned service in the U.S. Air Force/Air National Guard, where he flew fighter and DV Airlift missions. Additionally, he is a retired airline captain with 20+ years experience at Part 121 Air Carriers. Mr. Prosek has a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign and an MBA from the University of Nevada at Las Vegas.

ABSTRACT

Many changes are underway in the United States in the area of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). A recent reorganization in the FAA has placed all of the UAS activity under a single executive charged with being the focal point for all matters pertai- ning to UAS. The FAA is unique in that it has both the regulator and the air navigation service provider within a single orga- nization. The presentation will delineate the changes that have occurred in the organizational structure of the FAA. Another major change regarding UAS in the United States is the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 passed by Congress and signed into law by the President on February 14, 2012. The presentation will delineate the multiple UAS facets included in this legislation which includes six specific sections dealing with UAS. The presentation will provide an overview of the tasking that has been given to the Administrator of the FAA. Of particular note, this tasking includes the establishment of six UAS test sites within the United States for the purpose of accelerating the integration of UAS into the National Airspace System. The presentation will provide an overview of the purpose and methodology to be used in establishing these sites, along with the planned timetable for selection and implementation. The United States has three pillars at the core of its plans for integration of UAS into the National Airspace System (NAS). These include a Concept of Operations (ConOps), a Civil UAS NAS Integration Roadmap and a Research, Development and Demonstration Roadmap. This presentation will highlight the timetable for publication of these documents as well as an explanation of the interaction between the three products. Additionally, the current activities in two areas: “accommodation” work for allowing UAS access to the NAS today and the “integration” work to allow for routine access to the NAS will be highlighted.

To download a registration form to attend the conference, click here.

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