As reported by National Public Radio…
“Americans are suspicious of drones. Reports of the unmanned aerial vehicles’ use in war zones have raised concerns about what they might do here at home. For instance, in Seattle earlier this year, a public outcry forced the police department to abandon plans for eye-in-the-sky UAV helicopters.”
The backlash worries Paul Applewhite, an aerospace engineer with 10 years of experience at companies like McDonnell Douglas and Sikorsky. He now runs his own startup company, Applewhite Aero, in an industrial park on the south side of Seattle. Applewhite is developing drones — or UAVs, as the industry calls them. He shows off a 3-pound Styrofoam plane he has dubbed the Invenio.
Paul Applewhite of Applewhite Aero isn’t allowed to fly this 3-pound Styrofoam plane. That’s because he has added circuitry to make it autonomous — it can find its way to specified coordinates — which means it’s an unmanned aerial vehicle requiring a special testing permit.
Click the link below to read the complete story online at NPR.org
Will Bureaucracy Keep The U.S. Drone Industry Grounded?
Rich Hanson
AMA Government and Regulatory Affairs