FAA Reviewing Micro UAS Report

In the US, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is currently reviewing the report and recommendations of the Micro Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC). The agency had tasked the group to develop recommendations for performance-based regulations that would let certain unmanned aircraft operate over people not directly involved in the flight of the aircraft. 

The rulemaking committee, which began meeting on March 8, worked under a tight deadline of April 1 to deliver its report. The task force included a diverse set of aviation stakeholders, including UAS manufacturers, UAS operators, consensus standards organizations, researchers and academics. 

“We commend the committee members for their sincere dedication and for producing a comprehensive report in such a short time,” said FAA Administrator Michael Huerta. “This type of collaborative government and industry partnership is exactly what is needed to keep pace with this rapidly changing industry and will serve as a model for future rulemaking advisory tasks.” 

The ARC’s consensus report recommends establishing four small UAS categories, defined primarily by weight and by risk of injury to people below the flight path. The first category, for example, covers UAS up to a weight of 250 gms and the outline regulation for such a small aircraft is minimal. The greater the potential impact of the craft, the greater the regulatory measures so that a category-4 craft would carry similar regulation as for manned aircraft. 

The FAA plan to use the information in the report to develop a flexible, performance-based proposed rule. The public will have an opportunity to comment on the proposal based on the ARC’s recommendations.