Sun, Apr 20, 2008
The last week in
April promises to be an interesting one as the National
Transportation Safety Board holds a three-day forum on the safety
of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). The forum will be convened
April 29-30 in the NTSB Board Room and Conference Center in
Washington. The forum will provide an opportunity for the Board and
interested parties to understand the safety implications presented
by the growing use of UAS in the National Airspace System.
Issues addressed will include:
- Regulatory standards,
- Integration with the National Airspace System,
- Perspectives of current UAS operators,
- Design, certification and airworthiness,
- Human factors,
- Future UAS applications and perspectives of current users
of the National Airspace System.
The forum is a result of the Safety Board's investigation into a
Predator B unmanned aircraft that crashed near Nogales, Arizona, in
April 2006. The Board's October 2007 meeting on this accident
resulted in 22 safety recommendations to address deficiencies
associated with the civilian use of unmanned aircraft.
"The Nogales accident surfaced a number of important questions
that need to be addressed if UAS's are to operate safely in the
National Air Space," said Board Member Kitty Higgins, who will
chair the forum. "We are very interested in the military's
experience with UAS's, training of pilots, maintenance of the
aircraft, communication with Air Traffic Control and oversight of
UAS operations by public use agencies and other operators."
The forum will include representatives from the military,
industry, the FAA, and government agencies involved in UAS
operations. Interested members of the aviation community and
general public are encouraged to attend.
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