The FAA has formed a new committee with industry participation for end-users that want to fly Beyond-Visual-line-Of-Sight (BVLOS). RCAPA was included in the list of thirty-one different industry groups to give input to the current FAA UAS ARC about “immediate, near and long-term issues/hurdles are or might be for fielding this technology.”
RCAPA President, Rick Connolly accepted on behalf of the membership.
“We designated “Patrick Egan to represent the RCAPA membership due to his experience and passion in the Global Airspace Integration experience including his prior participation on the sUAS ARC. While committee participation is not exactly the seat on the UAS ARC that we have petitioned for, it will allow us some level of participation to voice the concerns of the membership… mainly certification issue. We strive to be a unified voice for the small business UAS industry.”
While we were reminded that this isn’t a seat on the UAS ARC, the board is hopeful that the powers that be are receptive to the notion of common sense regulations prevail and that small business might have some valuable insights to contribute.
RCAPA Board member, Gene Robinson also had comments about the RCAPA’s committee participation.
“…… RCAPA has been contributing to the unmanned aircraft community since 2005 to provide as much-practical experience possible in the decision-making process for flight in the NAS. With the information that is taken from actual field use of UA, we have been able to divine what the best operating practices are, acceptable environments to fly in, and the safest possible combination of aerial tools to use. As the technology rapidly changes, we will tirelessly continue to gather and apply the best hardware and continually redefine concepts that have been proven in the past.”
You can discuss the RCAPA’s inclusion on the BVLOS committee and other timely subjects at the RCAPA Facebook page.
Be sure to join the RCAPA as the numbers help to support the technology and your future
Comments
Thanks!
@ Patrick (thank you for representing!) and others: It seems to me it is good to have all the options in the discussion during this formative time.
We'll have to see what the dialogue is all about. Many are questioning why we would have this discussion without VLOS regs, but I'm a sucker for a good committee meeting. ;-)
This is as close as I could get to the UAS ARC without help from Congress or the White House.
I think that they should designate zones for hobbyists where they can legally fly BVLOS... If I want to go out in the country with no one around for miles, well away from airports and houses, why should that require a license?
The United states is a HUGE country and we have lots of places where this should be obviously safe. Lets just spell it out and make it clear for everyone.