The drones are coming! The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has promised to issue updated rules for unmanned aircraft by the end of the year. The FAA’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NRPM) for small unmanned-aircraft operators within U.S. airspace will come none too soon for business owners in many industries, many of whom have been frustrated by the FAA’s longtime ban on commercial drone use.
Many questions surround the FAA’s upcoming rules for drones — also called (among other names) unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). These rules are part of a multi-phased plan to integrate UAS into the U.S. National Airspace System (NAS) and are likely to bring a range of new challenges, opportunities, and concerns for business aviation.
First wave of commercial UAS
The FAA recently exempted six film industry operators from its commercial UAS ban. These exemptions give a ray of hope to would-be commercial UAS operators who want to use unmanned aircraft for applications such as these:
- security — for example, police uses such as crowd monitoring and surveillance;
- search and rescue;
- monitoring — for example, forestry and pollution control; and
- agriculture management — applications such as crop dusting and grow-area monitoring.
Expected challenges
A major concern with UAS operations is that it will create hazards for pilots and the public. Both military and commercial drones have crashed on the ground and in the water; collided with buildings, people, and vehicles; and even hit or nearly missed a few piloted aircraft.
Before UAS can be integrated into the NAS; the FAA, pilots, and UAS vendors and operators will have to collaborate to develop and implement protocols and technologies that enable safe UAS operations. One proposed solution is to equip drones with sense-and-avoid technology that enables them to avoid collisions. Another is to add technology that allows air traffic control to detect UAS. However, such technologies are still in the research and development stages and likely would not be available for certification until 2016 at earliest, says National Defense magazine.
Currently, UAS operators are not required to receive safety training. The growing numbers of untrained drone operators will increase the odds of accidents unless operators receive some standardized level of education and training.
Expected opportunities
Drones represent a huge opportunity for many industries, including aviation. The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) reports that the UAS technology industry is expected to grow from its current $13 billion by more than tenfold in the next decade. Companies can expect to expand their service offerings by providing UAS to do jobs that are too difficult or too dangerous for piloted flights, or for work that is more easily done at lower altitudes. Such activities include crop dusting, remote-area search and rescue, aerial photography and videography, power line and pipeline inspection, oil and gas flare stack inspection, and many others.
Although it may be some time before U.S. airspace is fully ready to accommodate UAS, commercial drones are on their way. For the business aviation industry, it’s time to learn about this opportunity, study the FAA rulings, and get ready.
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