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Senate Hearing: The Future of Unmanned Aviation in the U.S. Economy: Safety and Privacy Considerations

The U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation just finished it’s hearing, “The Future of Unmanned Aviation in the U.S. Economy: Safety and Privacy Considerations.” The witness panel was:

  • Dr. Missy Cummings
    Director, Humans and Autonomy Laboratory
    Duke Institute for Brain Sciences, Duke University
  • Mr. Henio Arcangeli
    Vice President, Corporate Planning & New Business Development
    Yamaha Motor Corporation, USA

Each linked name above will bring you to a page with that witness’ prepared testimony (.PDF). However the question and answer portion of the hearing is available only by watching the near 2 1/2 hour video. [Note: Fast forward the video to 21:25, where the coverage actually starts.]

Source: commerce.senate.gov

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FAA Announces Delay of Drone Rulemaking Process

The FAA’s Significant Rulemaking Report for January 2014, includes an entry entitled, “Operation and Certification of Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS).” (FAA link: January 2014 Report)

The report includes a revised date for Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for small UAS. What had been scheduled to begin in March 2011 is now scheduled to begin in November 2014. This will of course further delay the adoption of regulations that apply to remote-controlled model aircraft, also called “small UAS” and more commonly referred to as “drones.”

No drone regulations currently exist. Operators of such craft remain free, (at this writing), to legally operate them unregulated under federal law, whether for pleasure or profit.

Source: DOT.gov

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FAA Starts Working With Hobbyists To Draft Safety Guidelines For Model Aircraft And Drones

From the article:

The FAA today announced that it is working with the Academy for Model Aeronautics (AMA), the largest organization for model aircraft enthusiasts in the U.S., to create safety guidelines for model aircraft and drones.

Note that the author of the article correctly states, “…[T]he FAA doesn’t have authority to regulate model aircraft….”

Source: TechCrunch.com

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FAA falsely claims “Drone Journalism” is Illegal

On January 1, 2014, a photojournalist with the Spokesman-Review, Jesse Tinsley, shot video footage of an annual “Polar Bear Plunge,” using his R/C model aircraft. The newspaper then published the video online.

The following day, Frank Bi, a news developer with PBS NewsHour questioned (via Twitter) whether the paper having used Mr. Tinsley’s footage, had acted illegally.

Mr. Tinsley replied that it was “not illegal, but currently in a gray area.”

And I also replied to Frank Bi.

FAA spokesperson Les Dorr then chimed in, declaring, “There is no gray area.” Mr. Dorr further claimed, “if you’re using [an R/C model aircraft] for any sort of commercial purposes, including journalism, that’s not allowed,” he added.

Mr. Dorr’s claim is, of course, not at all true. There are currently no FAA regulations concerning R/C model aircraft. Mr. Tinsley is free to use his craft for pleasure or profit regardless of what false claims the FAA makes. It has no authority whatsoever to govern the use of R/C model aircraft.

In fact, in a sentence that makes no sense at all, Mr. Dorr himself conceded there are no such regulations by stating, “And as much as we’d like to encourage them, we can’t let them do it as long as there are no rules in place.” If, as Mr. Dorr states, there are no rules in place, the FAA surely has no authority to enforce any.

Source: Poynter.org

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FAA and AMA to Sign a Landmark Agreement at AMA Expo 2014

From the Press Release:

James Williams, executive manager of the FAA Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration Office will join AMA President Bob Brown on the main Expo stage at 3 p.m. PST, on Saturday, January 11, to sign a Memorandum of Understanding. This agreement institutes a formal relationship between the FAA and the Academy of Model Aeronautics and establishes the platform upon which the AMA and the FAA will jointly work to ensure the continued safe operation of model aircraft in the National Airspace System.

“The execution of this document puts the Federal Aviation Administration one step closer to fully enacting the Special Rule for Model Aircraft established as part of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012,” said AMA Executive Director Dave Mathewson. “Still to be realized is FAA’s formal recognition of the AMA as a community-based organization as described by Congress and the agency’s acknowledgment of AMA’s Safety Program as a means of substantiating the safety guidelines and overseeing the operation of recreational unmanned aircraft.”

Source: Newsday.com

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So you want to fly drones? Here’s what the law says - GIGAOM.COM

Here’s a well-intentioned primer on the legalities of drone flying. It has useful other information, but mistakenly asserts that there are FAA regulations regarding the operation of R/C model aircraft. There are not.

“Where can you fly a drone? As long as you’re not doing it for business purposes, there are very few rules. Here’s a map and a quick explanation of where your drone can go.”

Source: Gigaom.com

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NY Times review: DJI Phantom 2 Vision

The New York Times review of the drone that I fly:

“Five years ago, the DJI Phantom 2 Vision would have seemed like a science fiction film prop or a piece of surveillance hardware flown only by the sexiest of superspies. But it is the first camera-carrying drone you may want to own — and you could do that without spending thousands of dollars.”

Source: NYTimes.com

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U.S. Names Domestic Test Sites for Drone Aircraft - NYTimes.com

From the article:

The FAA has selected six locations throughout the United States to test drones and how to best integrate them into the skies. The goal is to determine how to set safety standards, train and certify ground-based pilots, how to ensure autonomous safety features, such as the ability for a drone to “return to home” on its own in an during a loss of communications and how to best avoid collisions.

Source: NYTimes.com