The FAA’s new Drone Advisory Committee (DAC) met last Friday for it’s inaugural meeting in Washington, DC. The committee’s purpose is to provide recommendations to the Federal Aviation Administration about fully integrating drones into the NAS.
The committee’s membership was announced last week; it includes representatives from government, airport management, the drone industry, and major retailers. The committee is chaired by Brian Krzanich, CEO of Intel Corp. Several top FAA executives were present, including Administrator Michael Huerta, “Hoot” Gibson – senior advisor for drone integrations – and Earl Lawrence, director of the UAS Integration Office.
The FAA briefed the committee on the challenges that the FAA faces in integrating drones – which offer technology and capabilities that do not fit into the existing framework of manned aircraft – into the NAS safely; setting the current environment for the DAC. According to the agenda published in the Federal Register, the committee took input from members about appropriate priorities for the group, and attempted to prioritize the current issues facing the drone industry and drone integration.
AIN online reports that chairperson Krzanich said that his goal “is to make sure that every voice is heard…and that at the end of the day we make a recommendation to the FAA.”
Over 400 people expressed interest in being included in the group, which has 35 members. The committee will meet 3 times a year for two years. The DAC is part of the FAA’s ongoing effort to collaborate with industry when forming new regulations. When Administrator Michael Huerta announced the group, he said that “Input from stakeholders is critical to our ability to achieve that perfect balance between integration and safety…We know that our policies and overall regulation of this segment of aviation will be more successful if we have the backing of a strong, diverse coalition.”
The FAA’s NextGen Advisory Committee, advising the FAA on efforts to modernize the air traffic control system, was the model for the DAC.
Miriam McNabb is the Editor-in-Chief of DRONELIFE and CEO of JobForDrones, a professional drone services marketplace, and a fascinated observer of the emerging drone industry and the regulatory environment for drones. Miriam has penned over 3,000 articles focused on the commercial drone space and is an international speaker and recognized figure in the industry. Miriam has a degree from the University of Chicago and over 20 years of experience in high tech sales and marketing for new technologies.
For drone industry consulting or writing, Email Miriam.
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I believe one of the first regulations from the FAAs very small list was to only permit flying these drones no greater total of 300 feet and to be in sight of the person controlling the wireless controller. I see from my own eyes that the many i am dealing with causing problems to my family , friends ,animals and my self are going a great distance farther than the FAA regulations will allow. My resolution to all the problems these drones are causing is a verry simple and easy fix. Set your drone laws the same as the laws made to control mans best friend. You know the best friend that can be loving sweet and nice or it can bite the hand that feed it. You should get the picture now . set a leash law on these quad copter / drones. The must not be allowed to fly and have any possible threat to humans or a persons house ,car and or property. Let me ask you now is there a law that drones must have liability insurance for damage caused to others. Exactly the same as a car , boat , and motorcycle. Do something fast real fast about this growing problem . It is almost to late to be fixed.