Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS): Addressing the Regulatory Issues for National Airspace System (NAS) Integration
Abstract
Routine unmanned aircraft system's (UAS) access to the national airspace system (NAS) poses a variety of technological, regulatory, workload, and coordination challenges. This paper will focus on the ongoing effort in the United States (U.S.) to draft and implement regulatory guidance to integrate safe, routine, and efficient UAS operations in the NAS. The current Code of Federal Regulations governing unmanned aircraft operations does not adequately address the operation of this new type of aircraft. Specifically, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) does not allow unrestricted UAS operations in all classifications of airspace. A lack of regulatory guidance for UASs limits their operational potential and leads to a lack of airspace for UAS testing, evaluation, and real world operations. Evolving technological advancements and increased military and civilian demand have proven the need to fully integrate and capture all the regulatory requirements for UASs to meet their full potential. The end goal is to have UASs operating in the NAS transparently. Thus, UASs must be able to function seamlessly in the current air traffic system with other general, civilian, and military aircraft and comply with all the regulatory requirements that manned aircraft must meet. A detailed assessment of the current FAA regulatory guidance was performed with the intent to examine their applicability to UAS operations.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 01, 2009
- Accession Number
- ADA539461
Entities
People
- Michael C. Schoenbein
Organizations
- Air Command and Staff College