Up to 24 UAVs are planned to fly simultaneously at six FAA-designated test sites across the U.S. on April 19, in the biggest test yet of NASA’s UAV traffic management (UTM) system. “Participating UAS operators at the six sites will enter their planned flight operations and the UTM research platform will check for conflicts, accept or reject the flight plans and notify the users,” NASA says. Winds permitting, the national test campaign … Read More
FAA Doubles Altitude for Many UAS Flights
After a comprehensive risk analysis, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has raised the unmanned aircraft (UAS) “blanket” altitude authorization for Section 333 exemption holders and government aircraft operators to 400 feet. Previously, the agency had put in place a nationwide Certificate of Waiver or Authorization (COA) for such flights up to 200 feet. The new COA policy allows small unmanned aircraft—operated as other than model aircraft (i.e. commercial use)—to fly … Read More
FAA Talks Drones at SXSW
FAA Administrator Michael Huerta led a lively panel discussion about the future of small unmanned aircraft at South by Southwest (SXSW) in Austin on Monday. The panel included a diverse group of industry and government. In his opening remarks, Administrator Huerta outlined recent progress on several important initiatives, including a robust unmanned aircraft system (UAS) registration system that is expected to pass 400,000 registrants this week, the MicroUAS aviation rulemaking … Read More
FAA Unveils Effort to Expand the Safe Integration of Unmanned Aircraft
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is establishing an aviation rulemaking committee (PDF)with industry stakeholders to develop recommendations for a regulatory framework that would allow certain UAS to be operated over people who are not directly involved in the operation of the aircraft. The FAA is taking this action to provide a more flexible, performance-based approach for these operations than what was considered for Micro … Read More
Drone Registration Deadline Approaching
If you own a drone, the registration deadline is approaching. The Federal Aviation Administration requires all unmanned aircraft systems to be registered before flying outside. If you own a Drone, you have until Feb. 19 – Friday – to register. The federal law requires registration. Registration is inexpensive and is valid for three years and the online process is easy. The FAA now requires every drone, R/C aircraft owner to register aircraft … Read More
FAA Updates Washington, DC-Area Unmanned Aircraft Procedures
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is updating its conditions today for flying unmanned aircraft in the area between 15 and 30 miles from Washington, D.C. to clarify differences for various types of unmanned aircraft. As of 12:01 a.m. EST, Wednesday, February 10, the operating procedures will allow model aircraft, commercial and public users to operate in the outer ring of the Special Flight Rules Area (SFRA) under specific conditions. The … Read More
Small Drones Have Big Impact for Accident Investigators
When air safety investigators with Taiwan’s Aviation Safety Council (ASC) mobilized to the island of Hoko on July 24, 2014, to find out why a TransAsia Airways ATR 72-500 crashed into residences near Magong Airport, they brought along a new tool—a ScientificAerospace quadcopter with a digital camera and inertial and altitude sensors. Investigators with the U.K.’s Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB), who have also been deploying sUAS over the past … Read More
Drone Aids TransAsia Flight 222 Accident Investigation
The Taiwan Aviation Safety Council (ASC) successfully deployed a sUAV as part of its investigation into the July 23, 2014 crash of a TransAsia Airways ATR-72-500 on the island of Hoko, west of Taiwan. Drones for investigations is a growing trend among crash investigators worldwide, due to their ability to access remote locations or to quickly perform a site survey while gathering data at a lower cost than manned aircraft … Read More