Never Miss a Beat: Get a snapshot of the issues affecting the IT industry straight to your inbox.
FAA Approves Drone Operations Tests In US Skies
Moves toward 2015 goal of allowing commercial and private unmanned aircraft into civil airspace.
3 Min Read
Image: U.S. Navy. Pictured are (front to back, left to right): RQ-11A Raven, Evolution, Dragon Eye, NASA FLIC, Arcturus T-15, Skylark, Tern, RQ-2B Pioneer, and Neptune.
The Federal Aviation Administration took a step forward this week toward permitting unmanned aircraft to share the airspace over the United States with its selection of six research and testing proposals. The proposals will explore a variety of operational issues involving the operation of unmanned aircraft systems (UASs), often termed drones, such as ground-based pilot certification, safety standards, and collision avoidance.
The testing and evaluation projects will take place in nearly a dozen locations, including New York, New Jersey, Virginia, Nevada, and Alaska. The tests will assess a range of factors affecting the operation of unmanned aircraft, such as geography, weather, and current airspace use. The tests will study different types of commercial and private aircraft that might be used by police and fire departments, utilities, and private citizens.
[How might commercial businesses profit from FAA tests? Read: Amazon Prime Goes Drone]
The FAA received a total of 25 proposals from 24 states. The six proposals approved by the FAA are from:
The University of Alaska, which offered test ranges in seven climate zones, plus geographic diversity with test ranges in Hawaii, Oregon, and Alaska. The university's research will address developing a set of standards for categories of UAS, navigation, and state monitoring, as well as safety standards for operating UASs.
Griffiss International Airport, a former Air Force base located near Rome, N.Y., which will develop test and evaluation procedures and verification and validation processes under FAA safety oversight. The Griffiss group will also research sense-and-avoid capabilities for unmanned drones and assist in developing plans to integrate UASs into the congested skies over the Northeast.
Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, which will work on system safety requirements for unmanned systems and their operations, producing protocols and procedures for airworthiness.
The state of Nevada, which will focus on setting UAS operating standards and certification requirements. The researchers also will study how existing air traffic control procedures will need to evolve as UASs are introduced into the civil airspace environment, including integrating drones into NextGen, the FAA's next-generation air traffic control system.
The North Dakota Department of Commerce, which will develop essential UAS airworthiness operating data and conduct research into the interaction between humans and unmanned aircraft.
Virginia Tech, which will conduct UAS failure testing to identify and evaluate operational and technical risks using test ranges in Virginia and New Jersey. The university is working with the Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership, Rutgers, and the University of Maryland-College Park.
The tests are in important step toward meeting a 2015 Congressional deadline to begin integrating unmanned aircraft into the nation's airspace. But they are also seen as a new source of jobs.
The Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International applauded the FAA's announcement.
"In designating the first UAS test sites in these states, the FAA has taken an important step toward recognizing the incredible economic and job creation potential this technology brings," said Micahel Toscano, AUVSI's president and CEO, in a statement.
"AUVSI's economic report projects that the expansion of UAS technology will create more than 100,000 jobs nationwide and generate more than $82 billion in economic impact in the first decade following integration."
Patience Wait is a Washington-based reporter who writes regularly about government IT for InformationWeek.
Mobile, cloud, and BYOD blur the lines between work and home, forcing IT to envision a new identity and access management strategy. Also in the The Future Of Identity issue of InformationWeek: Threats to smart grids are far worse than generally believed, but tools and resources are available to protect them. (Free registration required.)
About the Author(s)
You May Also Like
More Insights
Webinars
How to Amplify DevOps with DevSecOps
May 22, 2024Generative AI: Use Cases and Risks in 2024
May 29, 2024Smart Service Management
June 4, 2024
Editor's Choice
May 2, 2024
While there are plentiful options in cyber resiliency and business continuity tools and platforms, there isn’t one that can knock out everything from sudden cloud outages to prolonged ransomware attacks in a single punch. What can you do to keep the company on its feet no matter what is thrown at it? Find out in this new virtual event.
Reserve Your Seat Now