A few days ago, an FAA official asked Congress to give the FAA authority to regulate, not only the launch and re-entry of commercial space vehicles, but orbital operations as well. Currently, the FAA’s authority is limited to launch and re-entry, both of which require the rocket to travel through the navigable airspace. The FAA has … Continue Reading
Yesterday, we wrote about the endgame for the small UAS rule and recent comments that the process might take until 2018 to complete. Today we would like to talk about the opening move, which occurred with little fanfare in the last few days. Before the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) can be released for comment, … Continue Reading
The small UAS rules are coming. When they are finalized, there will be a regularized process that will be open to all types of businesses. The requirements will be set, so people can easily decide whether it makes sense to develop an in-house UAS capability, or whether it will be better to contract with charter … Continue Reading
We recently reported that the search for MH 370 has been resumed by the Australians. But little has been reported about what is going on in either the investigation or related proceedings regarding MH 17, the Malaysia Airlines aircraft shot down on July 17, 2014. With 38 Australians perishing on the aircraft, The Sydney Morning … Continue Reading
As we have written previously, the biggest UAS safety problem is not a lack of additional regulations, but a lack of understanding by pilots of the existing regulations. This is not, however, a uniquely American problem. Despite their more developed regulatory scheme, Transport Canada is having increased difficulty with hobbyists who are unaware of the … Continue Reading
Speed is essential to success in the private sector. Being the first into a market with a good idea can launch a company into an unassailable position, or at least leave competitors with a years-long slog to try to catch up. Unfortunately, regulators rarely feel the same sense of urgency, and are sometimes surprisingly resistant … Continue Reading
While the FAA’s Interpretation for the Special Rule for Model Aircraft ruffled a few feathers in the UAS hobbyist community, overall, hobbyists have had it pretty good over the past few years. After all, the only person to be fined by the FAA for flying a UAS, Mr. Pirker, actually flew his aircraft back in … Continue Reading
On October 13, 2014, Plane-ly Spoken addressed the idiot who said “I have ebola. You’re all screwed,” calling for him to go to jail. Events since that day, including the ebola exposed nurse from Texas who flew on Frontier Airlines, along with the monitoring of passengers arriving at five airports in the United States, has … Continue Reading
A little known fact outside the aviation industry itself is that the FAA is in the insurance business, providing, under certain circumstances, war risk insurance coverage to US air carriers. One of the reasons for the program was the concern that US airlines might have difficulty getting affordable war risk coverage from the commercial insurance … Continue Reading
We wrote previously about the growing threat that a “crazy quilt” of state and local UAS regulations will interfere with the creation of a safe and predictable federal regulatory system. A number of influential groups with a strong interest in UAS issues, including the Motion Picture Association of America, Textron, and Rockwell Collins, have asked … Continue Reading
By now everyone has seen the video of the “idiot,” suitably described by a level headed and thoroughly professional USAirways flight attendant, being removed from a flight by emergency responders in blue hazmat suits. While he proclaimed that he was only joking, the full weight of the system should be brought down on anyone who … Continue Reading
Originally scheduled to end on October 14, the NTSB will be extending the cutoff for public comment to the proposed rule changes to Part 831 to October 31. Here is a link to a comparison of the existing rules and the proposed rules, as well as a link to submit comments. In addition, for those … Continue Reading
On October 8, MLA held a webinar, with over 200 in attendance to go over and highlight some of the changes being proposed by the NTSB to their rules. A copy of the webinar materials is available by clicking here. The cutoff for public comments is October 14, so be sure to consider how the … Continue Reading
As the UAS rulemaking grinds slowly forward, the specter of state and local regulation of UASs looms ever larger. The public is continuing to push state legislatures into enacting stringent UAS privacy laws. While many see safety and privacy as completely separate issues, local restrictions on when and how a UAS may be flown impacts … Continue Reading
After a hiatus of several months, the search for MH 370 has apparently resumed. Whether this is truly good news or just the beginning of another cycle of frustrating news remains to be seen. While the scheduling is probably a coincidence, as this is being written, the NTSB is holding a one day forum on … Continue Reading
As we predicted, once the FAA granted the first exemption to operate UAS commercially, something they did on September 25, 2014, the pace of filings dramatically increased. There are now almost 60 Section 333 petitions pending with the FAA. We believe the pace of filings will continue and that, as the FAA continues to act … Continue Reading
All six of the UAS test sites have been up and running for a while now. So, what coordinated research are they doing to assist the integration of UASs into the National Airspace? According to a recent report, very little. Bob Becklund, the director of the North Dakota test site, recently complained that the FAA … Continue Reading
So, you want to be a commercial UAS pilot. Do you have what it takes? A hobbyist can literally fly any UAS under 55 pounds for recreational purposes without any prior experience or training. No doubt there are hobbyists out there who have been flying fixed wing, single blade, and multi-rotor UASs for years, and … Continue Reading
Webinar Lights, Camera, Action … The FAA Grants Its First Exemption to Moviemakers Filing Your Own Exemption Petition October 14, 2014 1:00 – 3:00 pm EDT RSVP HERE! On September 25, 2014, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) granted the first exemption to operate UAS in the United States. This turn of events opens the … Continue Reading
