Maintains That UAVs Should Meet Same Certification And Airworthiness Standards As Manned Aircraft

While the he NBAA says it was pleased to have been a part of the FAA's task force on registering UAVs, the association still maintains that any device using the National Airspace should be subject to the same certification and airworthiness standards as current manned aircraft.

“NBAA was pleased to have the opportunity to provide input to the task force," NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen (pictured) said in a prepared response issued to the media. "As a representative of companies that seek to supplement their use of manned aircraft, or solely use UAS, to support their businesses by adding UAS to their operations, we look forward to continuing our work with the FAA and other stakeholders to ensure that UAS are safely integrated into the National Airspace System (NAS).”

Sarah Wolf, NBAA’s senior manager of security and facilitation, who represents the business aviation community on the task force, commented, “Registration is an important foundation for safe UAS operations in the NAS, and defining registration requirements is an important first step toward that goal.”

NBAA has long maintained that it is imperative that any introduction plan for UAS be focused on safety. This means UAS should not share the same airspace with manned aircraft until they have equivalent certification and airworthiness standards as manned aircraft, including the ability to take timely directions from air traffic control, and to sense and avoid manned aircraft and other UAS.

The task force’s approximately 30 representatives – which came from the UAS and manned aircraft industries, the federal government and other aviation stakeholders – submitted their 10-point proposal to the FAA on Nov. 21 in order to enable the launch of an s-UAS registration program in time for the U.S. holiday season, during which the agency expects thousands of the aircraft to be given as gifts. View the task force's UAS report.

Registration of privately operated unmanned aircraft is designed to help instill a sense of accountability and responsibility among UAS pilots, and it also will prompt them to become educated about safe flying in the NAS. Having registration information on file also will be important to the FAA and law enforcement authorities if unsafe operations are identified and enforcement action is needed.

Driven by the desire to maximize compliance with registration requirements, the task force’s recommendations call on s-UAS owners to only provide their name and address to a web-based database before operating their aircraft. However, NBAA believes that providing optional information – such as an email address, phone number and serial number of the UAS – could prove important.

“While NBAA concurs with most of the task force’s recommendations, the association would like to see the registration process require that UAS owners provide their email address,” said Wolf. “Having email addresses for operators could facilitate the distribution of vital educational information about how to operate UAS safely in the NAS.”

NBAA personnel have participated in UAS working groups through RTCA for nearly 10 years, and the association has published expansive online resources covering developments in the UAS industry of importance to the business aviation community.

(Source: NBAA news release)

FMI: www.nbaa.org