A major milestone is about to be recorded by the Australian unmanned aircraft industry with the Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) to certify its 150th certified unmanned aircraft system (UAS) operator this month. This milestone represents a 50% increase in the number of CASA certified UAS operators since May this year. If the current pace is sustained, the number of certified operators is now likely to pass 200 by as soon as March 2015. Continue reading
Category Archives: Regulatory Matters
Google, Amazon, DJI and GoPro Lead Small UAV Lobby Group
Leading technology companies have formally announced the formation of the Small UAV Coalition to help pave the way for commercial, philanthropic, and civil use of small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) in the United States and abroad. Chief among the organization’s goals is to advance a regulatory environment that will support safe, reliable, and timely operation of small UAVs. Continue reading
Insurance Company Requests FAA Approval to Test UAS
USAA , the United Services Automobile Association, has asked the Federal Aviation Administration for permission to research how unmanned aircraft systems could be used to help improve how quickly it settles insurance claims for its members during natural disasters. Continue reading
FAA Sees Surge in Applications for UAS Use Exemptions
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has received nearly a dozen new applications to allow commercial use of unmanned aircraft over the past week, and it plans to publish draft rules to allow broader use by the end of the year, the top agency official for the programme said on Wednesday. Continue reading
FAA says Air Traffic Control isn’t Ready for UAS
The Federal Aviation Administration is facing significant problems with integrating UASinto US airspace. The AP reports that plans for modernizing air traffic control can’t cover the unique challenges posed by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), given that they were made years before UAVs were used for more than military missions. “It’s becoming painfully apparent that in order to get [drones] in there, there is going to have to be a fair amount of accommodation, at least in the beginning,” National Air Traffic Controllers Association representative Chris Stephenson is quoted as saying. Continue reading
FAA Exemptions for Commercial UAS Movie and TV Production
U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx announced on September 25th that the Federal Aviation Administration has granted regulatory exemptions to six aerial photo and video production companies, the first step to allowing the film and television industry the use of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) in the National Airspace System. Secretary Foxx made the announcement on a conference call with FAA Administrator Michael Huerta and Chris Dodd, chairman and chief executive officer of the Motion Picture Association of America, Inc. Continue reading
DHL’s ‘Parcelcopter’ Flies to German Island
Logistics firm DHL is using a quadcopter to fly parcels to the German island of Juist, in what it says is the first time an unmanned aircraft has been authorized to deliver goods in Europe.
FAA to Announce Approval for UAS Use In Filming
The FAA will approve Hollywood’s request to use UAS for filming, government and industry sources familiar with the process have told Forbes. On Thursday afternoon the FAA will announce its decision, and explain the procedures under which production companies will operate and the aviation rules which they are exempted from, the sources say. Continue reading