AMA Response to FAA’s UAS Integration Roadmap


Academy of Model Aeronautics

 FAA’s Integration of Civil Unmanned Aircraft Systems in
the National Airspace System Roadmap

Bob Brown, president of the Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA), released the following statement regarding the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Roadmap for the Integration of Civil Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) into the National Airspace System (NAS):

“The AMA congratulates the Federal Aviation Administration on the completion of its UAS integration roadmap. The completion of this important project puts us one step closer to enabling a regrettably restrained domestic industry that is poised to infuse tens of billions of dollars into the US economy.”

“The agency’s roadmap illustrates a necessary and comprehensive process for integrating highly sophisticated unmanned aircraft into the national airspace alongside manned aircraft operations. However, FAA’s plan speaks minimally to the recreational use of small unmanned aircraft (model aircraft) and the emerging community of amateur personal-use UAS enthusiasts.”

“Model aircraft operations are managed by AMA’s community-based safety program, and modelers have operated their aircraft safely and harmoniously in the NAS for decades. However, recent advancements in computerized microelectronics, brushless electric motors and light-weight high-capacity batteries have fostered a new segment of small UAS enthusiasts.”

“The Academy of Model Aeronautics has worked cooperatively with the FAA for the past several years developing and updating AMA’s safety guidelines governing the aeromodeling activity. The Academy is now prepared to extend its community-based programming and lend its experience and expertise in support of the growing amateur personal-use community.”

Click here to see the FAA’s Press Release and links to the UAS Roadmap.

Click here to read FAA Administrator Huerta’s speech

3 comments

    1. Ed, If you go back to the GR Blog contents page you’ll see the origination date of November 8. I’m not sure why the system is not set up to display the date at the top of the individual blog.

      Rich Hanson
      AMA Government and Regulatory Affairs

  1. Huerta states, “Our FAA forecast estimates that we can expect 7,500 small unmanned aircraft in our national airspace in the next five years,…”

    How many DJI Phantoms alone have been sold and flown since January? With no data to back up my opinion, I’d submit to you that in California alone there’s in excess of 7500 quads and multi-rotors being flown.

    Our federal government is once again seriously behind in assessing and addressing current trends.

    However, once they realize and establish how to tax the use of “UAS”, they’ll be all over it.

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