ARLINGTON, Va. – Brian Wynne, president and CEO of the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI), today issued the following statement on the passage of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization bill (S. 2658) by the U.S. Senate by a vote of 95-3.
“Today’s passage of an FAA reauthorization measure by the Senate is a critical milestone for accelerating the civil and commercial use of unmanned aircraft systems, as well as expanding collaborative research and operations. We thank the Senate leadership for bringing this important bill to the floor.
“We look forward to continue working with lawmakers to ensure UAS integration efforts are done efficiently and safely, while underscoring the necessity for uniform federal rules, just like those used for the manned aviation industry.
“Also, we hope Congress continues to proceed towards a final FAA reauthorization bill that will reach the president's desk before the current authority runs out.
“While Congress addresses reauthorization, the FAA needs to use all available means to finalize the small UAS rule immediately, and without any further delays. Once this happens, we will have an established regulatory framework for UAS that will allow for more widespread commercial use of the technology.”
An economic impact study by AUVSI found the industry is projected to create more than 100,000 jobs and provide more than $82 billion in economic impact in the first decade following UAS integration into the national airspace. And last week, AUVSI issued an interactive analysis that showed the FAA has approved 38 types of business operations using UAS. The approvals were granted to companies in all 50 states and Puerto Rico.