The FAA has a huge challenge, they need to get it right the first
time. If they screw it up, and a UAS and a passenger aircraft have an
issue, where people get hurt, there will be no more UAS allowed! Of
course, the UAS industries are clamoring for changes now. Claims of huge
employment are dubious, since it will only transition pilots and
maintenance from manned aircraft to unmanned (peopled, what is the right
non-gender word).
If people think everything under 400ft (1000ft, 2000ft, whatever)
should be unregulated, what happens when a traffic accident occurs, and
a medical helicopter has to thread it’s way through 5 local TV stations
with their quad copters filming the carnage? What are the rules around an airport? The rules have to at least match the controlled/uncontrolled/class A/B/C/D rules that exist for manned aircraft. Rules need to be established, such that assistance cannot be delayed.
Quad copters and other UAS devices are easy to fly when the weather
is nice and there is little wind and turbulence. What happens when there
is turbulence, or dust or other weather that makes visual queues, and
control difficult. How about a slightly damaged older device that isn’t
well maintained, and the operator is inexperienced. The innocent people
on the sidewalk should expect a reasonable amount of safety near these
devices.
Many of the smaller quad-copters are only controllable indoors, and some of the larger ones are controllable in moderate winds. Larger UAS systems are less prone to weather, but are more dangerous to people around them. What happens when an editor or producer is clamoring for a news story on a stormy day? What is the poor UAS operator to do, fly anyway? The operators will be glad to have an FAA regulation that says it isn't safe, so they won't have to stress about it.
There will need to be right of way rules. Right of way rules make knowing what to expect from the other aircraft. It is all great to have see and avoid, but what is the understood direction to avoid things? Most R/C fliers operate with one aircraft in the pattern at a time, so they don't have too many right of way issues. Much of this will be new territory to UAS operators.
For commercial UAS operators, there will need to be maintenance programs designed. Basic maintenance will need to be regulated to insure the craft is controllable, as well as structurally sound. Having a UAS disassemble in flight will make the situation for the operator inconvenient. Inspections, and preventative maintenance programs will have to be defined.
There will be all kinds of other regulations that most people haven’t considered.
Pilot licensing being one. If a UAS is to be operated in the same airspace as a manned system, the operator MUST know the same rules as the manned aircraft, at least to know what everyone will expect in right of way situations.
The FAA could mess all this up and not regulate it properly, and people
will get hurt. The FAA is already granting exceptions for certain groups, but this sets a bad precedence. They could rush, or some manufacturer could lobby
congress to get the FAA out of the way, and people would get hurt. If a UAS took down a 737 you will see congress act!
Everyone needs to be a little more patient, and let the process work it’s way out.
If people think everything under 400ft (1000ft, 2000ft, whatever) should be unregulated, what happens when a traffic accident occurs, and a medical helicopter has to thread it’s way through 5 local TV stations with their quad copters filming the carnage? What are the rules around an airport? The rules have to at least match the controlled/uncontrolled/class A/B/C/D rules that exist for manned aircraft. Rules need to be established, such that assistance cannot be delayed.
Quad copters and other UAS devices are easy to fly when the weather is nice and there is little wind and turbulence. What happens when there is turbulence, or dust or other weather that makes visual queues, and control difficult. How about a slightly damaged older device that isn’t well maintained, and the operator is inexperienced. The innocent people on the sidewalk should expect a reasonable amount of safety near these devices.
Many of the smaller quad-copters are only controllable indoors, and some of the larger ones are controllable in moderate winds. Larger UAS systems are less prone to weather, but are more dangerous to people around them. What happens when an editor or producer is clamoring for a news story on a stormy day? What is the poor UAS operator to do, fly anyway? The operators will be glad to have an FAA regulation that says it isn't safe, so they won't have to stress about it.
There will need to be right of way rules. Right of way rules make knowing what to expect from the other aircraft. It is all great to have see and avoid, but what is the understood direction to avoid things? Most R/C fliers operate with one aircraft in the pattern at a time, so they don't have too many right of way issues. Much of this will be new territory to UAS operators.
For commercial UAS operators, there will need to be maintenance programs designed. Basic maintenance will need to be regulated to insure the craft is controllable, as well as structurally sound. Having a UAS disassemble in flight will make the situation for the operator inconvenient. Inspections, and preventative maintenance programs will have to be defined.
There will be all kinds of other regulations that most people haven’t considered.
Pilot licensing being one. If a UAS is to be operated in the same airspace as a manned system, the operator MUST know the same rules as the manned aircraft, at least to know what everyone will expect in right of way situations.
The FAA could mess all this up and not regulate it properly, and people will get hurt. The FAA is already granting exceptions for certain groups, but this sets a bad precedence. They could rush, or some manufacturer could lobby congress to get the FAA out of the way, and people would get hurt. If a UAS took down a 737 you will see congress act!
Everyone needs to be a little more patient, and let the process work it’s way out.