CenTexFlyer
Feb 17, 2006, 02:23 PM
Posted in the AOPA news.....
AOPA STANDS GUARD ON UNREGULATED UAVs
AOPA has prompted the FAA to keep an unregulated unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) operation out of navigable airspace above one North Carolina community. "Safety is paramount, and current airspace users must be assured that a reasonable level of safety can be maintained," said Melissa Rudinger, AOPA vice president of regulatory affairs. "The prospect of small UAVs flitting around in the same airspace we use is frightening. We know what kind of damage a 5-pound bird can do to a GA aircraft. Imagine what would happen if you hit a 14-pound UAV?" The issue came to a head when AOPA learned that the Gaston County Police Department in North Carolina had bought a hand-launched "CyberBUG" UAV from Cyber Defense Systems. The company sells the small radio-controlled drones as cheap helicopter substitutes for police, military, and news gathering uses. The company says the 14-pound UAV cruises at 29 mph at 1,300 feet agl, which puts it easily into navigable airspace and a potential midair collision. AOPA contacted the FAA, and agency officials worked with the police department. The local authorities agreed to operate by the provisions of Advisory Circular 91-57, "Model Aircraft Operating Standards," which require the drones to remain clear of navigable airspace and below 400 feet agl. The association said that UAV operators and their drones should be certified to meet the operating requirements that manned aircraft currently meet, and that includes the ability to sense and avoid other aircraft. See AOPA Online.
AOPA STANDS GUARD ON UNREGULATED UAVs
AOPA has prompted the FAA to keep an unregulated unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) operation out of navigable airspace above one North Carolina community. "Safety is paramount, and current airspace users must be assured that a reasonable level of safety can be maintained," said Melissa Rudinger, AOPA vice president of regulatory affairs. "The prospect of small UAVs flitting around in the same airspace we use is frightening. We know what kind of damage a 5-pound bird can do to a GA aircraft. Imagine what would happen if you hit a 14-pound UAV?" The issue came to a head when AOPA learned that the Gaston County Police Department in North Carolina had bought a hand-launched "CyberBUG" UAV from Cyber Defense Systems. The company sells the small radio-controlled drones as cheap helicopter substitutes for police, military, and news gathering uses. The company says the 14-pound UAV cruises at 29 mph at 1,300 feet agl, which puts it easily into navigable airspace and a potential midair collision. AOPA contacted the FAA, and agency officials worked with the police department. The local authorities agreed to operate by the provisions of Advisory Circular 91-57, "Model Aircraft Operating Standards," which require the drones to remain clear of navigable airspace and below 400 feet agl. The association said that UAV operators and their drones should be certified to meet the operating requirements that manned aircraft currently meet, and that includes the ability to sense and avoid other aircraft. See AOPA Online.