Administrator Opens Second Annual UAS Symposium

FAA Administrator Michael Huerta opened the second annual UAS Symposium saying the Unmanned Aircraft Era is the "new age of American aviation."

In his prepared remarks, Huerta said "Innovations throughout the small unmanned aircraft community have captured people’s imaginations. And I’m sure it’s what inspired many of you to attend this event."

Huerta touched on many of the agency's efforts to integrate unmanned aircraft into the National Airspace System, including Part 107, the drone registration database, the "B4UFLY" app, and their "No Drone Zone public education campaign.

"But I’m going to say something that’s likely to give my colleagues heartburn: This was the easy stuff," Huerta said.

"As we move toward fully integrating unmanned aircraft into our airspace, the questions we need to answer are only getting more complicated.

"There’s tremendous interest in expanding operations so that unmanned aircraft can be flown over people, and beyond visual line of sight.

"It’s not hard to see why: drones could provide a whole new perspective on both our cities and some of the most remote areas of the country.

"But introducing these operations into our airspace also introduces a unique set of challenges."

Huerta said there are obvious safety questions. What happens to people on the ground if a drone flying overhead fails? There are also security and privacy concerns. "These aren’t questions the FAA can or should answer alone," the administrator said.

"In the coming weeks, we will begin bringing the industry and national security leadership together to address these issues," Huerta said. "We hope to create a mutual understanding about the government’s security concerns, and discuss how we can collaborate to address them. Look for more details on this in the near future.

"We’re also launching a new Aviation Rulemaking Committee made up of a diverse group of aviation, technology, law enforcement, and safety stakeholders that will help us create standards for remotely identifying and tracking unmanned aircraft during operations."

Huerta said the agency wants to work with the unmanned industry in much the same way that it worked with general aviation manufacturers on its new certification standards. "We have no intention of dominating the conversation. Instead, our goal is to provide a productive framework that allows you to engage with each other and share ideas about the future of the unmanned aircraft industry in America."

(Image from file)

FMI: Full Speech