The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has awarded $3.3 million in research, education and training grants to universities that comprise the FAA’s Air Transportation Center of Excellence (COE) for Unmanned Aircraft Systems, also known as the Alliance for System Safety of UAS through Research Excellence (ASSURE). “These grants will help develop a greater array of innovative strategies to more effectively deploy... read more
At any given moment, more than 5,000 airplanes are flying over the United States. In a single year, nearly 778 million passengers will take to the skies — more than twice the population of the U.S., and the number increases each year. Aviation is the safest form of transportation. It is 100 times safer than driving. For every 100 traffic... read more
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration issued a proposed rule that would require unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) to be identifiable remotely. The rule, deemed the “Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for Remote Identification,” would apply to all drones that are required to register with the FAA (recreational drones weighing under 0.55 pounds are not required to register), as well... read more
On March 27–29, 2017 the Federal Aviation Administration and the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) are partnering to host the FAA UAS Symposium. This symposium will provide stakeholders with the opportunity to talk face-to-face with a cross-section of government and industry representatives about regulations, research and other initiatives to integrate UAS into the National Airspace System. This year’s... read more
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) today released an updated list of pilot, air traffic controller, law enforcement and citizen reports of potential encounters with unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). The latest data cover February through September 2016. Reports of possible drone sightings to FAA air traffic facilities continued to increase during FY 2016. There were 1,274 such reports from February... read more
At its second meeting on Jan. 31 in Reno, Nevada, the Drone Advisory Committee (DAC) will continue to help the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) prioritize its efforts to integrate unmanned aircraft systems — or drones — into the national airspace. FAA Administrator Michael Huerta announced the creation of the DAC as a federal advisory committee in May 2016, and the... read more
Mark June 21, 2016, on your calendar. This will be known as the day in geospatial history that the floodgates were opened for small drones to be used for business. On that day, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) officially introduced new rules (so-called Part 107) that allow businesses to fly small (under 55 pounds) unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in the... read more
The Federal Aviation Administration announced on Dec. 14 an official rule and registration process for hobbyists who own small unmanned aircraft weighing more than 0.55 pounds and less than 55 pounds, including payloads such as on-board cameras. The online registration system does not yet support registration of small UAS used for any purpose other than hobby or recreation — for example,... read more
New Task Force to Develop Recommendations by Nov. 20
WASHINGTON — U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx and FAA Administrator Michael Huerta today announced the creation of a task force to develop recommendations for a registration process for UAVs. read more
The federal government is expected to announce today a new plan requiring anyone buying a drone to register the device with the U.S. Department of Transportation. The registration of the drone will enable authorities to track a drone back to its owner if used in a dangerous manner. Under the plan, the DOT would work with the drone industry to set... read more
