Arlington, Va.– The Association for Unmanned Vehicles International (AUVSI) applauds the House of Representatives for passing Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization and Reform Act of 2011 (H.R. 658), by a vote of 223 to 196. The bill includes important language on integrating unmanned aerial systems (UAS) into the national airspace system (NAS).
Working with House leaders, AUVSI was successful in making a number of changes to the UAS provisions in the bill. Specifically, the bill would:
(1) Set a deadline of 30 Sept. 2015 for integration of commercial UAS into the NAS; (2) Require a comprehensive plan for integration into the NAS within nine months, after consulting with the unmanned aircraft systems industry; (3) Require the FAA to simplify its application process for law enforcement and public safety agencies within three months; (3a) Once the application process is simplified, law enforcement and public safety agencies will be able to operate UAS weighing less than 4.4 pounds, within the line-of- sight of the operator, less than 400 feet in the air, during daylight hours, within Class G airspace, and outside five miles from any airport. (4) Create four UAS test sites; (5) Define small unmanned aircraft as weighing less than 55 pounds; (6) Require annual reports to Congress on UAS activities; and (7) Start the official rulemaking process within two and a half years.
AUVSI President/CEO Michael Toscano praised the UAS sections of the bill saying, “UAS have the potential to revolutionize the aviation and aerospace industry globally. These systems play a vital role in our nation’s security and defense; however, recently, the potential benefits of civilian use of UAS in the United States have been hampered due to a lack of standards and consistent regulation.
“On behalf of our community, AUVSI applauds Congress for passing this Bill and providing a timeline to more expeditiously and safely integrate UAS into the National Airspace System thus allowing for the increased of UAS for beneficial civilian uses such as border surveillance, law enforcement surveillance, search and rescue, disaster response, weather research, wildlife monitoring, agricultural applications, power line surveillance, and wildfire monitoring, among others.”
The Senate passed their FAA bill (S. 223) earlier this year. In the coming weeks, AUVSI will be working with House and Senate leaders to come up with a compromise bill that expedites the safe integration of UAS into the NAS.
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The Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) – the world’s largest non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of unmanned systems – represents more than 6,000 members from 55 allied countries and 2,100 organizations involved in the fields of government, industry and academia.