Elwell: 'Believe It Or Not, We All Want The Same Thing'

Acting FAA Administrator Daniel Elwell brought a positive message about the UAV industry to the InterDrone conference last week.

"Believe it or not, we all want the same thing. We all know unmanned aircraft aren’t a novelty – some expensive toy that needs to be accommodated. And we’re ready for the day when drones are a fully integrated, everyday player in our nation’s airspace," Elwell (pictured) said. "So how do we make that happen safely – and faster?"

Elwell said that unmanned aircraft are a "disruptive technology" that are reinventing industries, and creating new ones. "They’re going to do for aviation what the internet did for information," he said.

"The national airspace system doesn’t have room for error. When something goes wrong up there, it shakes people’s confidence down here. And the entire industry feels the impact," Elwell said.

"Fortunately, incidents like that are extremely rare. Airplanes are safer and more resilient than at any point in history. The people operating in the system take safety so seriously that they self-report mistakes. And that voluntary data reporting allows us to root out areas of risk in the system long before incidents occur.

"The result? Aviation is the gold standard. The safest form of transportation in the world. That’s not a position we’re about to take a step back on."

Elwell recounted some of the developments at the FAA and the Department of Transportation related to drones, including the establishment of the UAS Integration Pilot Program which is working on BVLOS operations, the authorization of low-risk small drone flights and the created of a performance-based waiver and exemption process allowing more advanced operations.

He also included a pitch for a change in the drone registration requirement in the next FAA reauthorization bill which is currently waiting for consideration in the U.S. Senate. "We – and that’s a collective ‘we,’ not just the FAA – have to be able to identify every drone in the airspace, and who’s operating it. The National Airspace System is no place for hide-and-seek.

"This is common sense stuff. No one’s okay with the idea of people driving down the highway without a license in their pocket and a tag on their vehicle. Why should operating a drone be any different?

"But right now, the FAA’s hands are tied by a law that says we cannot require remote identification on model aircraft," Elwell said.

"This isn’t a sustainable situation. Until we can set remote ID requirements that will be universally applied to every drone… until we can make sure everyone is following the same rules inside the system… full integration just isn’t possible.

"Now, Congress knows this is an issue. And I’m hopeful we’ll see a legislative fix soon – maybe even as part of the FAA’s next reauthorization.

"As soon as this gets resolved, rest assured: we’re ready to move forward as quickly as possible."

Elwell said that the drone industry has proven that unmanned aircraft are here to stay. "And I think – I hope – the FAA has proven that we’re 100 percent committed to making you a regular part of our national airspace.

"Look…we’re not strangers anymore. We’re partners. In innovation and safety."

(Image from FAA YouTube video)

FMI: Full speech