FAA not rushing to create airspace for UAV ops

The FAA is committed to building the regulatory framework for advanced air mobility (AAM) while cautiously integrating drones and electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft into the national airspace. “We want to ensure equitable access to airspace, and we want to do so by taking an enterprise approach,” FAA Air Traffic Organization Chief Operating Officer Tim Arel said during a panel discussion at the 2024 FAA Drone and AAM Symposium in Baltimore on July 30. [caption id="attachment_56869175" align="aligncenter" width="1078"] Tim Arel (second from left), Chief Operating Officer of the FAA's Air Traffic Organization, speaking at the FAA Drone and AAM Symposium 2024 in Baltimore. (Courtesy/AUVSI)[/caption] To accomplish the safe operation of crewed and uncrewed aircraft in national airspace, the FAA must navigate unknown territory and define certification and regulatory guidelines for drones and eVTOLs, Paul Fontaine, assistant administrator for the FAA’s Next Generation Air Transportation System initiative, said during the discussion. A guided approach In order to align FAA departments working to integrate drones and eVTOLs into the national airspace system and keep pace with developments in aviation, the agency has created its “Innovate 28” program Fontaine said. “Innovate 28” was launched to bring one or more AAM sites into full-scale operations by 2028, according to the FAA. Beyond regulatory measures, drone and AAM integration involves understanding expectations — what is realistically possible and where there is room to innovate, Arel said. As part of its unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) integration strategy, the FAA aims to automate to reduce response times for flight-restriction waiver requests while enabling drone pilots and operators to have direct access to low-altitude authorization and notification capability traffic data controlled by selected third-party suppliers, Arel said. Drone operators flying in lower airspace use UAS mapping and do not require air traffic management, but eVTOLs operate in controlled airspace under uncrewed aircraft system traffic management, he said. Supporting air ops with infrastructure The integration of eVTOLs into the national airspace can be accomplished with existing helicopter procedures, whereas autonomous operations will be more of an infrastructure challenge , Arel said. Shannetta Griffin, associate administrator of airports for the FAA, said during the panel that continual performance testing is necessary. “We need to make sure that we get performance testing around all of these vehicles, to ensure all of the aspects of the flying of these vehicles, the landing of the vehicles and the takeoff requirements needed are all addressed in this next engineering brief.” Most of the testing is done at the FAA tech center in collaboration with several eVTOL developers, which provide performance data, she said. One concern is that eVTOLs will operate at airports and within communities that do not fall under FAA jurisdiction. “We know that this environment, this ecosystem, will go into communities and will be at airports,” Griffin said. “We’re trying to really impress upon the communities, local environments and local planning agencies to make sure that they adhere to our design that’s going to ultimately be released in 2025 for our final advisory circle.” Creating safe operations Safety is the focus for integrating drones and eVTOLs into national airspace and building supporting infrastructure. “To increase operations, we need to normalize operations,” FAA Deputy Associate Administrator for Aviation Safety Jodi Baker said. “Right now, every solution for AAM or drones has been very bespoke; it’s very custom. A custom design on your part, and it’s a custom design on our part to be able to evaluate the safety of the proposal.” In addition to approving the use of commercial drones without visual observers , Baker said the FAA expects to release a proposed rule for operating drones beyond visual line of sight by yearend. The pace for establishing regulatory and safety procedures for uncrewed operations will continue to be slow as the FAA emphasizes safety. Establishing safety protocols for crewed aircraft is feasible because the FAA is aware of how the vehicles, operations and airspace work, she said. “In the case of these new metrics, everything is a new variable for us,” Baker said. “We’re not even really certain what we are solving for. What’s the public tolerance of risk? What do people want? And what is the safety level they expect from these kinds of operations?” The 30th Cargo Facts Symposium will take place Oct. 14-16 at the Omni Hotel in San Diego. Gain valuable insights, success strategies and networking opportunities at this special anniversary event. Learn more and register today to take advantage of our early-bird sale.

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