UAVs

The US Federal Aviation Administration, European Aviation Safety Agency and Europe’s Joint Aviation Authorities plan to co-operatively develop a regulatory environment for integration of unmanned air vehicles into non-segregated airspace. The initiative is aimed at developing a single global air traffic management environment for UAV operations. Nick Sabitini, FAA associate administrator for safety, says: “If ever there was an opportunity to be harmonised at the very beginning, to walk in lockstep at the very beginning, it is this opportunity and we aim to get it right.”

Yves Morier, JAA regulations director, says: “We have probably an appropriate time scale: we are at the right junction to do it.” The co-operation process will initially focus on airworthiness issues, with the JAA to issue an advance notice of proposed amendment for UAV type certification within the next three months. The FAA is working on its own notice of proposed rule making for UAV certification, with this potentially to be issued within six months. The co-operation initiative was announced in Paris last week.