AUVSI Presses DOT to Release Small UAS Proposed Rule

On 4 May, AUVSI President & CEO Michael Toscano sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood asking him to expedite the publication of the small unmanned aircraft system (UAS) notice of proposed rulemaking.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has been examining the issue of allowing small UAS to fly in the airspace since 2008, when it formed an aviation rulemaking committee (ARC) to examine the issue. Although the ARC issued recommendations in 2009, the FAA has not yet released a proposed rule for public comment on how it will safely allow small UAS to fly in the civil airspace.

Congress, in the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 – which was passed into law on 14 February – requires the secretary of Transportation to publish a final rule on allowing small UAS to fly in the airspace by mid-2014, with the safe integration of all civil UAS by 30 Sept. 2015.

“The UAS industry believes the pending rule is urgently needed and will provide meaningful guidance to manufacturers and end users for design, construction and operation of small UAS to safely operate and deliver crucial services to law enforcement, agriculture and other sectors of the American economy.” said Toscano  in a letter to Secretary LaHood. “UAS will be the next big revolution in aviation; however, before this industry can really take off, we need rules from the FAA on how to safely operate alongside manned aircraft.”

AUVSI continues to actively engage with members of Congress, federal regulators, aviation stakeholders, potential users, and privacy groups to help educate about the importance of unmanned systems.