On the DRONERESPONDERS National Public Safety UAS Conference, Jeffrey Vincent, the Executive Director of the FAA’s UAS Integration Office, spoke to a packed house of public safety professionals about what’s next for drone regulations – including a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) for BVLOS flight by the top of this 12 months.
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Jeffrey Vincent, FAA
The FAA’s UAS Integration Office is the entity tasked with the complex task of integrating drones into the NAS – and collaborating with stakeholders across the industry and federal government to make that occur. Since taking the position of Executive Director in January of 2023, Vincent has been an accessible and visual representative of the FAA, providing frequent updates at industry events and committing to providing more definition around many complex agency procedures.
This morning, Vincent recognized the importance of drones in public safety. “We understand that drones provide worthwhile services,” he said. “Drones can and can transform lives.” He then went on to congratulate the community for his or her sponsorship of cooperation within the industry, which Vincent says is critical to bringing drone integration forward.
“There’s an amazing opportunity for collaboration,” said Vincent. He cited one such industry project is the event of the MITRE sponsored experimental drone range in Orange County, VA, where stakeholders in defense and public safety can work with expanded operations.
BVLOS Flight
Key to drone as first responder (DFR) programs and lots of business applications is the regularization of flight beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) without the added constraints of visible observers. “Sustainable BVLOS operations are a top priority,” said Vincent, commenting that the agency has now adopted an “operations first” methodology.
The agency has now issued 7 permissions for BVLOS operations, which Vincent said represent the FAA’s “forward leaning” approach. The hope is that these waivers could be replicated more easily by other corporations, allowing more BVLOS operations to happen. Still, Vincent acknowledged that waivers aren’t the way in which forward. “We aim to create a regulatory environment where operators can scale operations,” said Vincent, stating that the FAA expects to issue a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) on BVLOS flight this 12 months.
With a view to enable BVLOS flight, the agency can be prioritizing the event of unmanned traffic managment systems (UTM.) UTM services will probably be separate from but complementary to air traffic control, and can help manage flights in ways in which aren’t possible for individual operators. To that end, the FAA has designated an area in North Texas as a key site for UTM development, working with partners to explore and test technologies. Implementation of detect and avoid technologies and other ecosystem tools are also an agency priority.
Vincent indicated that the agency is moving ahead rapidly on efforts to scale business operations and support the expansion of drone industry. “That is just the start,” said Vincent.
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