Discussions

Mundus is pushing their press release about Air Drone CEO Justin Chapman's publication of what they claim is the FAA manual for UAVs for use in the movie industry. The press release has been picked up all across the Internet, a search for "chapman FAA" yields pages of the copy/paste press release from the Mundus Website. However, there is as of yet no sign of the actual document, said to have been written in 2010. 

One potentially concerning comment in the press release itself makes me wonder, are commercial UAV firms, or at least Mundus/Air Drone, preparing to lock up the regulations in order to limit competition from other firms and/or hobbyists? It would be a responsible strategy, when looked at from the interests of a stockholder of a commercial UAV firm. It is also not something I even would have considered, until I read the following comment in the 29 September 2011 press release, pushed out immediately after the so-called Pentagon UAV plot (about a document written in 2010.)

"and are referencing it as a reason for Mundus to be in a position to write the safety operations on UAV delivery systems anywhere in the country and therefore help assist FAA, and Homeland Security with the regulation and standards for legal operation, thus making any operation of any UAV without this standard of authority unlawful.” 

I have put in a request to Mundus for a copy of this document, which according to their press release, was authored by the CEO of their subsidiary, Air Drone. As an amateur pursuing UAV-related interests in a safe, responsible manner, I do not expect a reply; however, if Mundus elects to share this document with me/us, I will be the first to praise their transparency, in the very same post that I share it with you, before I even read the document.