CEA and the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) reacted...

CEA and the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) reacted positively Wednesday to the disclosure that the Federal Aviation Administration is working with several industries to expedite allowing limited commercial operation of drones before federal rules are in place (CD May 14 p17). The associations teamed up in March to write the FAA a letter urging the “expedited consideration and approval” of a long-delayed rulemaking regulating the safe use of small commercial drones in U.S. airspace (CD March 28 p16). AIA views the disclosure that the FAA will expedite limited commercial unmanned aircraft system (UAS) operations as “a positive development,” Ali Bahrami, AIA vice president-civil aviation, told us by email. “The market potential for commercial operations is huge, and this constitutes a good first step. That said, a permanent final rule regulating small UAS is a critical requirement for safe commercial operations, and we look forward to the FAA publishing the proposed small UAS rule as scheduled, in November of this year.” Much like the rest of the aviation industry, AIA members “have been anxiously waiting for the release of the proposed rule and been urging the FAA to expedite the rulemaking,” Bahrami said. The joint letter that AIA and CEA sent the FAA in March “was not the only communication with the FAA,” he said. “In fact we are in constant communication with FAA staff and feel that our concerns regarding the delayed rulemaking have been taken into consideration.” At CEA, “we commend the FAA for its commitment to work with industry to allow limited commercial use of drones,” President Gary Shapiro said in a separate email. “This is an important first step to allow productive drone use to transform industries and create jobs. As the most innovative country in the world, we should be a leader not a laggard in adopting new technology. We look forward to working with the FAA to create clear rules and a clear policy framework that unleash the explosive innovation this promising technology will bring.”