Jim Williams, Manager FAA UASIO Receives sUAS News Industry Leadership Award

Patrick Egan

Small Unmanned Systems Business Exposition 2015, San Francisco.

On behalf of the readership and community at large we decided that Mr. Williams should be recognized for his effort made towards the goals of safe and viable commercial integration of small commercial UAS into the NAS. The integration effort has a turbulent 23-year history of different viewpoints and ideas on what is or was safe and or acceptable to the other airspace stakeholders. We’re all in agreement with the notion of regulations that facilitate safe integration, but many in the community had trepidation’s about the commercial viability of what were rumored to be overly restrictive rules.

Those that have been at the integration effort for many years see what is proposed in the NPRM as progressive and viable for a small unmanned aircraft systems business sector to both start and grow. It is for these reasons that the editorial staff at the sUAS News decided to recognize all of Mr. Williams’s hard work. We wish him well in his future endeavors.

Patrick Egan

Editor in Field, sUAS News Americas Desk | Patrick Egan is the editor of the Americas Desk at sUAS News and host and Executive Producer of the sUAS News Podcast Series, Drone TV and the Small Unmanned Systems Business Exposition. Experience in the field includes assignments with the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command Battle Lab investigating solutions on future warfare research projects. Instructor for LTA (Lighter Than Air) ISR systems deployment teams for an OSD, U.S. Special Operations Command, Special Surveillance Project. Built and operated commercial RPA prior to 2007 FAA policy clarification. On the airspace integration side, he serves as director of special programs for the RCAPA (Remote Control Aerial Photography Association).