Citing safety concerns and privacy issues, the FAA has delayed the selection of U.S. sites to be used for the testing of unmanned aircraft. In a letter to Republican Congressman Howard McKeon of California, chairman of the House Unmanned Systems Caucus, FAA Acting Administrator Michael Huerta said the establishment of six […]
Continue readingAuthor: Rich Hanson
Interest in the Private use of UAS is Growing Rapidly
Though it’s clear commercial use of UAS in the national airspace is for the most part and for now banned by the FAA, the private/personal use of UAS is very much a grey area. As long as the UAS is not used for business purposes, almost any type of private […]
Continue readingLook, Up in the Sky… It’s a Bird… It’s a Plane… No, It’s a Robotic Bug!
TechJect, a spinoff from Georgia Tech’s Robotics & Intelligent Machines Lab, may well have come up with the next generation of micro flying robots. Through a research project funded by the US Air Force Office of Scientific Research, the micro robot is designed to emulate the unique flying characteristics of its […]
Continue readingAviation Organizations Urge the FAA to Continue UAS Integration
The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA), The Helicopter Association International (HAI) and 17 other aviation related national organizations have petitioned the FAA to continue its efforts to safely integrate the operation of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) into the National Airspace System (NAS). In a […]
Continue readingUAS Provide a New Mission for the Air National Guard
November 9th, Air Force officials briefed Capitol Hill staffers on the possibility of locating a “Remote Split Operations Squadron” at the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station. This would be a much-sought new mission for the 107th Airlift Wing which the Pentagon proposed shuttering last spring. Though the change of mission […]
Continue readingCounterterrorism Experts Concur… MA not a Significant Threat
In May 2011, would-be terrorist Rezwan Ferdaus of Asland, Mass. planned to convert a radio control model aircraft into a weaponized drone and fly it into the US Capitol building. The FBI learned of his suspicious activity through contacts in the aeromodeling community and ultimately arrested Ferdaus before he could […]
Continue readingFAA Meeting Follow-up… Progress Made
The “FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012” signed into law as Public Law 112-95 in February 2012, contains a “Special Rule for Model Aircraft”. The language in this provision instructs the FAA Administrator to not enact rules affecting model aircraft activity conducted within the safety programming of a nationwide […]
Continue readingSeattle PD UAS Gets Irate Reception
As reported by Central District News… SPD’s public display of their Draganflyer X6 Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (AKA “drone”) Thursday at Garfield Community Center was supposed to give people a chance to see the camera-toting remote-piloted helicopter in person and give residents the chance to ask questions about how it would […]
Continue readingUAS Could Soon be Flying Over NASA’s Kennedy Space Center
A team of participants from Rocket University is building a fuel cell-powered unmanned aerial vehicle and support systems to perform missions such as wildlife surveillance around the expansive Kennedy Space Center. Michael Dupuis previously worked on the space shuttles’ fuel cell systems and is now leading the unmanned aerial systems group’s […]
Continue readingMembers of Congress Seek Independent Review of UAS Integration
Members of Congress influential on aviation matters have asked an independent government watchdog to review whether the Federal Aviation Administration is making progress on meeting Congress’ mandate to develop a plan for managing the growth and integration of unmanned aircraft into the national airspace. In 2010 an FAA official reported […]
Continue reading