Avionics News December 2014 - 29
AEA member Bryan Archer with UAS Super Bat before a search and rescue flight in Texas. systems for ongoing scientific research and environmental monitoring under tightly controlled conditions. Firefighters and law enforcement deploy unmanned aircraft systems during emergencies with permission from the Federal Aviation Administration. Companies and organizations want the ability to freely operate unmanned aircraft systems for charitable and commercial activities without having to request special permission. Federal regulations currently prohibit most nonmilitary unmanned aircraft systems in U.S. airspace. Users must obtain permission via a certificate of authorization in order to operate. Due to the popularity of the systems and potential to save lives and aid research and law enforcement, Congress mandated that the FAA develop a plan to safely integrate unmanned aircraft systems into the national airspace by September 2015. In less than a year, the industry should have some solid guidelines. REACHING MAJOR MILESTONES While we wait, nonprofits, businesses, filmmakers and media outlets press the issue forward by petitioning the FAA, going to court and filing appeals. They've had some success. When a woman went missing near Dallas, Texas, the FAA granted a four-day certificate of authorization to the National Institute of Standards and Technology to fly a UAS in support of Texas EquuSearch, an all-volunteer, nonprofit organization that assists in locating missing individuals. "We hit a major milestone in September," said Bryan Archer, president of Frisco, Texas-based Galaxy Aviation Inc., an FAA-certified repair station and Aircraft Electronics Association member. "It was the first time the FAA granted a nongovernmental entity permission to operate a UAS." Continued on following page avionics news * december 2014 29
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