AMA update
The FAA process to create regulation for the operation of small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS) in the national airspace continues to move forward. There’s been a lot of speculation about what will be contained in the sUAS proposed rule that is scheduled to be released as a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) sometime in June 2011.
The NPRM will contain proposed regulation that will most likely have some impact on model aviation. The FAA is prohibited by law from disclosing the exact language in the NPRM until it’s released in the Federal Register. However, we have been able to determine, in a generic sense, what some of the proposed language might be. The Aviation Rulemaking Committee’s report submitted to the FAA in 2009 indentifies many of the sUAS issues under consideration; however the specific recommendations in the report may or may not be reflected in the final rule. We know that the NPRM will most likely address things like how high, how fast, and where a model aircraft may fly. We know that the FAA has drawn a hard line between recreational use and commercial use.
AMA is continuing to work with the Unmanned Aircraft Program Office (UAPO) within the FAA and is in contact with the UAPO on a weekly, if not daily basis. Over the past 90 days there have been five face-to-face meetings with AMA and the UAPO staff. AMA’s internal workgroup, consisting of members with a diverse and knowledgeable model aviation background meet by conference call weekly and continues to develop standards that will eventually be submitted to the FAA for adoption that will allow modelers who follow these standards additional latitude from the rule. The foundation of our standards has always been the National Model Aviation Safety Code and its supporting documents including our Turbine Waiver Program and our Large Model aircraft Program. Recently a member of the UAPO office has been regularly attending these calls.
We’re fighting a tough battle between keeping our members informed and not painting an overly tenuous picture of the future of model aviation. Not knowing exactly what will be in the proposed rule makes this a difficult challenge. And we’re still working through some issues today that may be satisfactorily resolved before the NPRM is released. At the same time we need to make sure our members are aware, engaged, and prepared to react, if necessary, when the time is right.
The FAA has been invited to the AMA Expo in January. They have accepted. Our intent is to hold a roundtable Q&A session to help clarify a number of issues. This roundtable will be open to those in attendance and will also be taped and posted online. The Expo will also signal the beginning of an increased awareness campaign to keep the model aviation community as informed as possible as we move into 2011 and the eventual release of the NPRM.
– Dave Mathewson AMA President
