The RCAPA still believes that FAA accountability is the key to timely airspace integration. The GAO report pointed out what it could in the way of FAA progress, but what about the Congressionally mandated comprehensive airspace integration plan? September is upon us, and unless the FAA is playing possum about the big “comprehensive NAS integration plan” announcement the business drone community may be in for one more regulatory deadline letdown.
Are we going into another holiday season just wishing for something from the FAA? They got way fewer comments than expected on the NPRM, but will still need all of the projected 16 months to go through those comments. The AFS 80 just announced their new leadership and that leaves them and the purported business advocates on the current UAS ARC to plow objectively through the small rule comments for the rest of us.
Only a few short years ago the same purported commercial drone advocates and experts were sure that Congress had dropped the hammer. The well-meaning but confused FAA had no choice but to get on the ball.
“Don’t worry about the horse being blind, just load the wagon” – John Madden
Remember all of the excitement the six test sites fired up. Everyone was after the pot of gold at the end of the test site rainbow. However, unless you are North Dakota, you are left looking to those lucky winner State governments for money. On a side note, I would venture a guess that the 333 exemptions didn’t help with test site revenue generation.
As always, I like to leave our readers with the big silver lining:
We do have some good news, after 23 years there is finally talk of publically funded scientific risk studies for UAS integration into the NAS.
http://www.assureuas.org/index.php
RCAPAs response gao rcapa15
