Federal AviationAdministration
FAA Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Update
Presented to: MAPPS 2012 Summer Conference
By: Randy Willis, Acting Air Traffic Manager,
FAA UAS Integration Office
Date: July 12, 2012
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UAS Integration Office Update
July 12, 2012
Overview• FAA Role• Reorganization – UAS Integration Office• Vision• Perspectives• Critical UAS Integration Issues• Current UAS Operations
– Certificate of Waiver or Authorizations (COAs)
• Current Integration Activities• Legislation Summary• Test Range Selection• A Look Ahead
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UAS Integration Office Update
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FAA Role• FAA is a Regulator
– Must ensure the safety of operations in the National Airspace System
• FAA is a Service Provider– Must preserve the efficiency
of all of the airspace delegated to the United States
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UAS Integration Office Update
July 12, 2012
FAA UAS Reorganization
• UAS Integration Office, AFS-80– Establishing a division-level organization reporting to
the Director of Flight Standards– Single executive focal point
• James H. “Jim” Williams (started March 26)
– Combining former Air Traffic and Flight Standards UAS offices
• Unmanned Aircraft Program Office (UA PO), AFS-407• Unmanned Aircraft Systems Group (UASG), AJV-13
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UAS Integration Office Update
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Vision Statement
• Safe, efficient, and timely integration of UAS into the airspace– Safe
• Because that is the FAA Mission!
– Efficient• FAA is committed to reduce delays and increase
system reliability
– Timely• FAA is dedicated to supporting this exciting new
technology
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UAS Integration Office Update
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Perspectives on UAS Integration into the National Airspace System (NAS)
• Today – Accommodation
• Mid-term – Integration into the NAS
• Long-term – Integration into the
NextGen NAS
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UAS Integration Office Update
July 12, 2012
Who is Operating UAS in the NAS?
• Public Use Aircraft – Certificate of Waiver or Authorization (COA)– Department of Agriculture
– Department of Commerce
– Department of Defense
– Department of Energy
– Department of Homeland Security
– Department of Interior
– Department of Justice
– NASA
– State Universities
– Federal/State/Local Law Enforcement
• Civil Aircraft – Special Airworthiness Certificates in the Experimental Category and Special Flight Permits issued coast to coast– Raytheon
– AAI Corporation
– General Atomics
– Boeing
– Others
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UAS Integration Office Update
July 12, 2012
Where Are UAS Operating?
• UAS are operated in most classes of airspace
• Currently, flight over populated areas has not been approved
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UAS Integration Office Update
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How Are UAS Being Used?
• System Development• Operational Missions• Training for Ops Missions• Research• Sensor Development & Testing• Marketing• Border Patrol• Firefighting• Disaster Relief• Search and Rescue
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UAS Integration Office Update
July 12, 2012
Authorization Required?
• Activities completely contained in active Special Use Airspace (Restricted and Warning Areas)– No FAA approval required - range rules apply
• Private recreational use – Advisory Circular 91-57, Model Aircraft Operating
Standards
• COA– Only available for Public operations– Agency determines pilot certification and
airworthiness
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UAS Integration Office Update
July 12, 2012
Authorization Required?
• Special Airworthiness Certificate in the Experimental Category and Special Flight Permits for production flight testing– Only means of access currently being used by
civil operators– FAA determines airworthiness– No commercial operations– FAA Order 8130.34, Airworthiness
Certification of Unmanned Aircraft Systems and Optionally Piloted Aircraft
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UAS Integration Office Update
July 12, 2012
COA Types
• Standard• Renewal
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UAS Integration Office Update
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Special COAs
• DoD / FAA Memorandum of Agreement• Non-Joint Use Military Airfield• Over Military Lands
• Disaster Relief COA• DoD (Predator and Global Hawk)• Customs & Border Protection (Predator)
• Emergency COA– Issued to proponent that already has a COA to
operate in response to an emergency situation in another location
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UAS Integration Office Update
July 12, 2012
Examples of Disaster/Emergency COAs
• Disaster Relief COAs– Haitian Relief (January – February 10)– Red River Flooding (CBP) – North Dakota (March 10)– Mississippi Canyon (Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill) (June 10)
• Emergency/Humanitarian COAs– Japanese Earthquake/Tsunami (March 11)– Red River Flooding (UND) – North Dakota (March 10)– Oil delivery for Nome, Alaska (March 12)– Numerous Law Enforcement
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UAS Integration Office Update
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•COA Applications Submitted by Proponent
•All data as of 5/31/2012
COA Operator Statistics
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UAS Integration Office Update
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•COA Applications Approved
•All data as of 5/31/2012
COA Approval Statistics
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UAS Integration Office Update
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Critical UAS Integration Issues
• Unmanned aircraft reliability• Aircraft certification standards• Control station (cockpit) layout/certification• Pilot qualification standards• Dedicated, protected spectrum• Sense and avoid capability• NextGen ground systems design• ATC Interoperability
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UAS Integration Office Update
July 12, 2012
Current Integration Products
• FAA Civil/Public UAS NAS Integration Roadmap (UAS Integration Office, AFS-80)– Recommendations/inputs from the UAS Aviation
Rulemaking Committee– Projected for Summer 2012
• FAA Concept of Operations (ConOps) (FAA NextGen Organization)– Projected for September 2012
• Comprehensive Plan (JPDO)– Projected for Fall 2012
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UAS Integration Office Update
July 12, 2012
Title 14, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 107, Rule: Small UAS
• Purpose of the regulation– Enable small UAS to operate safely in limited portions of
the NAS and gather data• Focus
– Enable the widest range of activity that can be safely conducted within the shortest rulemaking timeframe
• Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to be released later this year
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UAS Integration Office Update
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Legislation Summary
• UAS Provisions– FAA Modernization
and Reform Act of 2012
– National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) 2012
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UAS Integration Office Update
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Legislation Summary
• FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012– Enacted into law on February 14, 2012
• Subtitle B – Unmanned Aircraft Systems – Sections 331-336
• Many tasks with timelines included• Most prominent task calls for establishment of
six UAS test sites
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Test Range Selection Plan
• Request for Comment published in Federal Register on March 9, 2012
• 60 day comment period• Webinars during comment period
– April 10th (455 participants)– April 11th (371 participants)
• Screening Information Request (SIR)• Selection Process• Six sites selected, December 2012
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A Look Ahead • Today/Ongoing
– Improve COA guidance and process– Refine FAA Civil/Public UAS NAS Integration Roadmap– Plan/oversee research and development activities– Gather safety data!!
• Near term– Implement advanced mitigations (Ground Based Sense
and Avoid (GBSAA), others)– Increase NAS access through small UAS rule
• Long term– Reduce dependency on COAs, move towards integration
into the NextGen environment
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UAS Integration Office Update
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UAS Integration
SAFE!
EFFICIENT!
TIMELY!