In a new position paper, the European Cockpit Association – the European pilots’ union – have outlined a number of prerequisites for the safe integration of light RPAS, often referred to as ‘toys’, into Europe’s low level airspace. Continue reading
Category Archives: Regulatory Matters
Drexel University Joins FAA UAS Research Team
Drexel University is one of several core research institutions that will be part of the FAA’s recently-announced National Center of Excellence for Unmanned Aircraft Systems, led by Mississippi State University, alongside dozens of associate research, commercial and government partners.
Amazon Patent Links UAS Delivery to Smartphone
The US Patent and Trademark Office revealed an Amazon.com, Inc. patent filing, which highlighted the e-commerce giants’ plan to propel its unmanned delivery service for commercial purposes. According to the approved filing, drone deliveries will be navigated by pulling location data from a customers’ smartphone — where real-time routes and directions are constantly updated to guide the delivery process.
New Regulations for UAS in Chile
In Chile, the civil aviation regulator recently updated the nation’s drone regulations. Previous Chilean rules governing unmanned aircraft systems (commonly known as drones) only required drone operators to request a simple permit from the Chilean civil aviation regulator, the Dirección General de Aeronáutica Civil (DGAC), before they could launch a drone flight. The DGAC’s reliance on such a general, simplistic regulation led some to say that drone use was not well regulated. Continue reading
FAA Launches B4UFLY App for UAV Operators
The FAA has announced a smartphone application that aims to make it clear to Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) enthusiasts where it’s legal to fly in the National Airspace System (NAS). The B4UFLY app, announced at the 2015 Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) Conference in Atlanta, Ga. will allow hobbyists to determine whether there are any restrictions or requirements in effect at the location where they want to fly a UAV. Continue reading
FAA-Industry Initiative Will Expand Small UAS Horizons
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has announced a partnership with industry to explore the next steps in unmanned aircraft operations beyond the type of operations the agency proposed in the draft small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) rule it published in February. Continue reading
Netherlands to Relax Rules on sUAS
The Dutch infrastructure ministry is working on new rules which will enable what it calls ‘commercial companies’ to use mini drones without having to apply for permits.
MIDCAS Demonstrates RPAS Integration Progress
The MIDCAS (Mid Air Collision Avoidance System) consortium together with the European Defence Agency (EDA) have now completed flight test and simulation campaigns conducted as part of the MIDCAS project. Continue reading