On the AUVSI Latest England UAS and AAM Summit, a panel of stakeholders discussed what comes next because the drone industry continues to collaborate with regulators.
With David Boulter because the FAA Associate Administrator for Aviation Safety, and Jeffrey Vincent as Executive Director of UAS Integration Office, the agency has reinvigorated the spirit of collaboration and momentum toward drone regulations. While the FAA works towards getting more drones within the air, the agency stays with no everlasting Administrator or a stable funding package: each of that are critical for the burgeoning drone industry.
The position of FAA Administrator is a presidential appointment that have to be confirmed by the Senate. President Biden’s first nominee, Denver Airport CEO Phil Washington, withdrew from the method amid questions on his experience in aviation. The present nominee, Mike Whitaker, was formerly Deputy Administrator of the FAA and currently Chief Operating Officer at advanced air mobility company Supernal. While Whitaker is widely expected to be confirmed, the Senate has not yet acted: and the tenure of the present Acting Administrator, DOT Deputy Polly Trottenberg, expires by law at the top of this month.
The 2023 FAA Reauthorization Package and the Drone Industry
Along with the necessity for a everlasting head, the 5-year 2018 FAA Reauthorization package expired on September 30, 2023. Authorization was prolonged until December 31, 2023: but while the extension prevented employees from being furloughed it doesn’t provide the roadmap of priorities and deadlines contained within the version of the 2023 FAA Reauthorization package passed by the U.S. House of Representatives in June. (That package is currently stalled within the Senate.)
Max Rosen, Senior Manager of Government Affairs at leading uncrewed advocacy group AUVSI, said that a rulemaking to make clear drone flight beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) is one in all the highest issues facing the drone industry today: and it’s addressed within the 2023 FAA Reauthorization package currently into account. In the present package, the FAA could be required to issue an NPRM (Notice of Proposed Rulemaking) on BVLOS flight inside 4 months of the bill’s enactment.
“There’s plenty of great language within the House Reauthorization Bill that holds the FAA to some key deadlines,” said Rosen. “There’s a decent deadline on the BVLOS rulemaking, which is critical for scalability of the industry.” While the FAA has worked to extend the pace of issuing waivers for BVLOS flight, a rulemaking has lagged since recommendations from the advisory committee were released in March of 2022. “I believe the waiver and exemption process is an awfully essential lifeline for the industry – but these businesses have invested thousands and thousands of their technology, they need a formulaic rule that permits them to operate more routinely,” Rosen said.
A Rulemaking on BVLOS drone flight isn’t the one essential issue addressed within the bill. Before everything, the bill provides stable funding for programs outlined, allowing the agency to allocate resources appropriately to the mandated priorities. “That bill will provide a ton of continuity for the FAA,” said Rosen, commenting that there is important content within the bill related to all areas of the unmanned industry: unmanned traffic management (UTM), UAS Test Sites, advanced air mobility (AAM) and more.
What Happens After the Bill is Passed?
Passage of the bill is barely the beginning. Once Congress agrees upon a package, “The impact will likely be huge,” said Rosen. “Once it’s signed into law, there will likely be the start of the implementation period where the FAA will begin to take into consideration find out how to implement those programs and deadlines and find out how to allocate resources.” Development of that implementation plan requires cross-agency cooperation and continued input and communication with Congress.
Finally, while the 2023 FAA Reauthorization bill calls for publication of a NPRM on BVLOS flight inside 4 months, that doesn’t mean the rule will likely be immediately implemented. The NPRM publication will kick off a period of public comment: those comments will should be adjudicated before a proper rule might be published.
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