Because of FAA regulations, the UAS industry has been slow to take off in the U.S. outside of the military and contract companies. Most of the current jobs I have come across require either military time with deployment experience and/or flight instructor ratings. My hope is that the recent news from Congress last week on pushing the FAA will finally result in serious action on integrating UAS into the U.S. National Airspace. If the president signs the bill I believe it will allow U.S. commercial businesses to begin a hiring boom. As the proposed bill has progressive steps for integration, businesses can prepare by continuing and starting research, development, and training to be ready to go when the laws become official. As a recent graduate actively seeking employment, I have full confidence that an entry level job requiring my skills will be waiting for me and other graduates and entry level professionals this year.
Highlights of the Bill are posted below courtesy of AUVSI:
http://www.auvsi.org/news/#HouseFAAPass
U.S. House and Senate Pass FAA Bill, Setting Requirements for UAS to Fly in the National Airspace
The bill awaits President Obama’s signature
By Ben Gielow 2/6/2012
AUVSI applauds the U.S. Senate for passing the
FAA bill conference agreement,
following the House’s passage on 3 Feb. The bill now awaits President
Obama’s signature before it becomes law. Once enacted, the bill starts
the clock on a number of deadlines the FAA must meet to safely integrate
unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) into the national airspace system.
Chief among them is a deadline for full integration by 30 Sept. 2015.
The UAS industry has made tremendous technological advancements
since Congress last passed an FAA bill in 2003, and this legislation
recognizes the important role UAS will play in the future air
transportation system. Rep. Tom Petri (R-Wis.), chairman of the House
Transportation and Infrastructure Aviation Subcommittee, said, “by
setting requirements and deadlines for FAA rules for the safe
integration of unmanned aircraft systems, the conference report also
unlocks the potential for private sector job creation here at home that
has so far been stalled by government inaction.”
In praising Congress’s passage of the bill, AUVSI’s President &
CEO Michael Toscano said, “UAS are truly a revolutionary-type
technology, and I’m confident that once people can fly UAS in the
national airspace for civil and commercial purposes, such as oil and
pipeline monitoring, crop dusting, and search and rescue, a whole new
industry will emerge, inventing products and accomplishing tasks we
haven’t even thought of yet.”
Some of the major UAS provisions AUVSI helped draft and advocate for inclusion in the bill include:
Setting a 30 Sept. 2015 deadline for full integration of UAS into the national airspace;
Requiring a comprehensive integration plan within nine months;
Requiring the FAA to create a five-year UAS roadmap (which should be updated annually);
Requiring small UAS (under 55lbs) to be allowed to fly within 27 months;
Requiring six UAS test sites within six months (similar to the language in the already-passed Defense Authorization bill);
Requiring small UAS (under 55lbs) be allowed to fly in the U.S. Arctic,
24-hours-a-day, beyond line-of-sight, at an altitude of at least 2,000
ft, within one year;
Requiring expedited access for public users, such as law enforcement, firefighters, emergency responders, etc.;
Allowing first responders to fly very small UAS (4.4lbs or less) within
90 days if they meet certain requirements;◦The goal is to get law
enforcement and firefighters immediate access to start flying small
systems to save lives and increase public safety.
Requiring the FAA to study UAS human factors and causes of accidents; and
Exempting model aircraft, so long as the aircraft weighs less than 55lbs and follows a set of community-based safety standards.
