US Deputy Defence Secretary William Lynn has launched a review of the Pentagon’s unmanned aircraft programmes to determine whether their requirements to operate in the national airspace are clearly defined and consistent with the department’s new airspace integration plan.
Category Archives: Regulatory Matters
UAS Biggest Users of FAA NextGen Test Centre
The most intense use of the US Federal Aviation Administration’s NextGen Integration and Evaluation Capability (NIEC) to date has been by the UAS community, both within the FAA and the broader government and industry community.
FAA Grants COA to Mississippi University to Fly Stark Heron
The Federal Aviation Administration has issued a Certificate of Authorization (COA) to Mississippi State University for Stark Aerospace to fly the Heron UAS from Golden Triangle Regional Airport (GTRA) in Columbus, Mississippi .
FAA Reauthorization Bill Passes Through the US House of Representatives
Last Friday, the US House of Representatives passed the Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization and Reform Act of 2011 by a vote of 223 to 196. The bill includes important passages about integrating unmanned aircraft systems into the National Airspace System (civil airspace).
FAA Reauthorization Bill – Comment
Doug Davis is currently Director, Global UAS Strategic Initiatives at New Mexico State University, after spending almost 25 years with the FAA. He is widely known and respected for his pioneering work in developing the vision for how UAS will operate in the National Airspace System. We asked Doug for his appraisal of the current legislative and budgetary situations facing the FAA and the progress that it is being made. Doug told us:
ICAO Invites UVS International to Help Plan Regional Campaigns
ICAO has notified UVS International that it would like to continue the partnership established for the organisation of the Global Air Traffic Management Forum, which included ATCA, CANSO, EUROCONTROL, IATA, FAA, Department of Defense (USA), Ministry of Transport (Germany), NATO, and UVS International, for the organisation/conduct of a regional campaign of five seminars/workshops on civil/military cooperation in all ICAO regions from 2011 to 2013.
Oz Team 5 Year Project to Develop UAS Safety Evaluation Tool
The University of Newcastle, Australia and Boeing Research and Technology Australia have launched a five-year project to develop a tool to evaluate whether unmanned aircraft meet the same levels of safety as piloted aircraft for particular operations.
FAA Reform Worries Model Aircraft Enthusiasts in USA
Model Aircraft with Enthusiast Photo: Rich Beauchesne
As the FAA Reauthorization and Reform Act, HR 658, makes its way through the US House of Representatives, it is provoking concern amongst model aircraft enthusiasts who fear that government regulators can’t make the difference between model aircraft and unmanned aircraft systems.