Contact: Jim Laird
STARKVILLE, Miss.--Officials at Mississippi’s leading research university believe that new federal rules for routine commercial use of unmanned aircraft systems will enhance R&D and create new opportunities for businesses and academia.
According to the director of Mississippi State’s Raspet Flight Research Laboratory, the new Federal Aviation Administration regulations announced June 21 represent a significant step forward.
“Regulators, industry and researchers are all working toward the same goal: the safe and efficient integration of unmanned systems into the national air space,” said Dallas Brooks, who also serves as associate director of the Alliance for System Safety of UAS through Research Excellence (ASSURE).
“The FAA’s new operational rules for small UAS have been designed to minimize risks to other aircraft and people and property on the ground,” he said.
Mississippi State leads ASSURE — the Federal Aviation Authority’s national center of excellence for UAS research — and Brooks was among the experts who helped craft the new FAA rules.
“While the new rules greatly streamline access for limited drone use, significant additional research is needed to prove the safety of more widespread drone operations. Such operations would benefit our nation’s farmers, strengthen our nation’s emergency response capabilities, and create thousands of high-tech jobs to boost our nation’s economy,” Brooks explained.
“Mississippi State University, which directs the FAA’s UAS Center of Excellence, is positioned to lead those key research activities that will help ensure that drones are safely integrated into our national airspace system,” he said.
According to the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International, the domestic UAS market is projected to create more than 100,000 jobs and $82 billion in economic impact in the first decade after FAA integration is complete. During the same period, the UAS industry could create more than 1,200 jobs and approximately $973 million in economic impact in Mississippi alone.
“With this new rule, we are taking a careful and deliberate approach that balances the need to deploy this new technology with the FAA’s mission to protect public safety,” FAA Administrator Michael Huerta stated.
“But this is just our first step. We’re already working on additional rules that will expand the range of operations,” he said.
According to the FAA, the new rule offers safety regulations for unmanned aircraft drones weighing less than 55 pounds that are conducting non-hobbyist operations. It takes effect in late August.
Key provisions of the new regulations include:
—Anyone flying a drone must be at least 16 years old and have a remote pilot certificate with a small UAS rating from the FAA or be directly supervised by someone with certification.
—Pilots are required to keep unmanned aircraft within visual line of sight.
—Operations are allowed during daylight and during twilight if the drone has anti-collision lights.
—Flights over unprotected people on the ground who aren’t directly participating in the UAS operation are prohibited.
“We are part of a new era in aviation, and the potential for unmanned aircraft will make it safer and easier to do certain jobs, gather information, and deploy disaster relief,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said in a release.
“We look forward to working with the aviation community to support innovation, while maintaining our standards as the safest and most complex airspace in the world,” he said.
Although the new rule does not specifically deal with privacy issues and the FAA does not regulate how UAS gather data on people or property, the FAA is acting to address privacy considerations in this area. The FAA strongly encourages all UAS pilots to check local and state laws before gathering information through remote sensing technology or photography.
The FAA’s advisory circular is available at https://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/advisory_circulars/index.cfm/go....
Mississippi State recently updated its unmanned aircraft policy to ensure that UAS are acquired and operated efficiently, safely and ethically, and in compliance with applicable laws and other university policies and procedures.
According to MSU’s chief research officer, the updated policy clearly defines acceptable usage of UAS on university property.
“This policy is based on best practices and current law, and we are confident that it addresses many of the questions and concerns people have about unmanned aircraft,” Vice President for Research and Economic Development David Shaw said.
The university’s unmanned aircraft policy is posted online at http://www.policies.msstate.edu/policypdfs/7911.pdf, and Shaw encourages anyone with an interest in operating UAS on campus to review it carefully.
For additional information or for any questions about UAS operations at Mississippi State, contact Brooks at dallas.brooks@msstate.edu.
MSU is Mississippi’s leading university, available online at www.msstate.edu.