Remote ID Rules Could Come This Year, FAA Event Hears
Safety and FAA pending remote ID rules are critical to drones' growth, speakers said at a symposium co-sponsored by the agency and the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI). The annual unmanned aircraft system (UAS) event was postponed from June and began virtually Wednesday.
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“What’s most important is that we keep talking and we keep moving towards full, safe integration,” said Jay Merkle, executive director, FAA Office of UAS Integration. The main questions Merkle gets are on remote ID rules, the subject of a December NPRM. “We received over 53,000 comments,” he said: “We’re on track to deliver remote identification and operations over people at the end of this year.”
The pandemic demonstrated the importance of UAS “in ways that reduce in-person contact,” Merkle said: “Drones really are here for good.” Operations must be safe, he said. The FAA gets reports every day “about operations in or around airports at altitudes that definitely are above approvals,” he said.
“We are at a critical stage in the integration of UAS into the national airspace,” said Brian Wynne, AUVSI president. Establishing ID standards “will increase the safety and security of the airspace” by allowing authorities to identify and track drones, he said. They will lay the groundwork for future rules, he said.
Part 107, the FAA's small UAS rule, is nearly 4 years old, Wynne said. “Operators have been flocking to the technology and clearly demonstrated its utility and safety.” Nearly 4,000 operators in all states got waivers for operations beyond 107, 92% approved to fly at night, he said. “Operators have also received permission to conduct flights over people, operate multiple drones at the same time and operate beyond the visual line of sight.”
“We know you’re doing great things with Part 107,” Merkle said: “We’d love to hear from you.” And “we’re seeing the limits of Part 107” and new rules are needed, he said. “We’re taking new looks at airworthiness, certifications, technologies,” he said: “We’re also looking at new ways to integrate into the airspace.”
Allowing more innovation depends on safety, said Teri Bristol, FAA chief operating officer-air traffic control. “We hope to give you airspace access to fulfill your goals … but we’re counting on you to use your ingenuity to contribute to workable solutions,” Bristol said: “We can’t cater to every pioneering business plan.”
Bristol said the agency is trying to streamline approvals and is growing more comfortable with drones. American Tower recently received authorization to use drones to inspect all its U.S. towers, she said. “That’s a move that previously would have required a separate approval for every location.” The tower company built trust, showing it could keep its devices close to towers “while safely avoiding people and other aircraft nearby,” she said. That kind of approval “would have been hard to imagine until not very long ago,” she said.
Bristol announced FAA is developing a policy allowing more use at airports. "An airport is an especially complex arena with a lot of moving parts," she said. FedEx found it can inspect its aircraft in 20 minutes using a drone, compared with three hours without, she said.
The expansion of drones “is a worldwide phenomenon,” said FAA Administrator Steve Dickson. “No one here can work in a vacuum when it comes to how we set the parameters that will enable the global industry to prosper, yet remain safe,” he said. “We’ve got to develop our infrastructure in harmony” for seamless operations across borders, he said.
The International Civil Aviation Organization understands the importance of drones, said Chris Rocheleau, executive director, FAA Office of International Affairs. “Everyone has gotten onboard,” he said. “ICAO is definitely showing some leadership.”
Switzerland’s Federal Office of Civil Aviation and FAA reached agreement on harmonizing domestic and international safety standards for drones. “This agreement builds on U.S and Swiss efforts to ensure that the fastest growing and broadest segment of aviation is integrated safely, efficiently and seamlessly around the world,” said a news release.
Civil drone shipments will nearly double from 2020 pre-pandemic forecasts to reach 13,400 and nearly 80,000 shipments will take place in 2025, ABI Research said.