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We are often asked to compare the hourly cost of manned flights with the equivalent cost of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). This is not an easy question to answer because there is not a standardized and accepted protocol for calculating costs per flight hour. Further, there are numerous ways that costs per flight hour may be calculated because of the varying metrics that may be included in such a calculation. And, most importantly, when upgrading operations, it is often not just the platform that is upgraded but the entire operation is overhauled and the UAS is used differently than its manned predecessor. Nonetheless, this is an important question ...
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by AUVSI Since late May 2014, the Federal Aviation Administration has been accepting petitions for exemption to fly unmanned aircraft systems commercially in the National Airspace System, which is allowed under Section 333 of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012. The agency granted its first exemptions on Sept. 25, 2014. Since the onset, the FAA has received over 1,000 petitions as of the end of April 2015 and granted about 250. As of April 24, the comment period on the FAA’s proposed rules for commercial operation of small UAS in the NAS ended. The FAA is in the process of drafting a final version of the rules. Until they are finalized, access ...
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Tweet by AUVSI News On May 19, the U.S. Court of Appeals determined that hobbyist UAS owners will no longer have to register their unmanned systems with the Federal Aviation Administration, potentially reversing a practice that has been in place for more than a year. A three-judge panel determined that a final rule issued by the FAA in December 2015 requiring UAS owners to register their aircraft like manned aircraft directly contradicted another rule that was already in place from 2012. The rule that was in place from 2012 comes from section 336 of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act, which states that the FAA “may not promulgate any rule ...
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A NOAA ship photographed by a Puma UAS. Photo: AeroVironment. by AUVSI News In September, a research vessel from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration used an unmanned aircraft to aid in its operations supporting the Hawaiian Monk Seal Research Program. The annual research consists of setting up temporary field camps at multiple monk seal breeding locations between May and September. NOAA’s UAS program also assessed the value of various UAS platforms for seal population assessments, including counting seals on beaches and identifying individual animals. The program also coordinated the use of advanced optical and lidar payloads ...
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by Scott Kesselman Today the Federal Aviation Administration sent out a supplemental guidance letter to the 33 companies that filed petitions under Section 333 of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 before 25 Sept. 2014. On that date, the FAA released public guidance for petitions for exemption filed under Section 333. The Federal Aviation Administration is now recommending that these businesses review the guidance and submit additional information to support their petitions if necessary. The link provided by the FAA can be found here , but the remainder of this article will go through all the steps outlined on the FAA website. Guidelines ...
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The acquisition of ESD will leverage the large construction capabilities of Newport News Shipbuilding for advancements in UUVs. Photo: Huntington Ingalls Industries. by Scott Kesselman Huntington Ingalls Industries acquired the Engineering Solutions Division of the Columbia Group, a designer and builder of unmanned underwater vehicles, for an undisclosed sum. Panama Beach City, Florida-based ESD, previously a stand-alone division of the Columbia Group, has about 30 engineers, analysts, craftsmen and technicians. The company’s clients include the U.S. Navy and military customers around the world. “ESD’s experience in designing and developing manned ...
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Aug. 29, 2016 Contact: Tom McMahon, tmcmahon@auvsi.org , (571) 255-7786 Commercial UAS Cleared for Takeoff New FAA rule allows more businesses and innovators to fly, unlocks economic benefits Washington – With regulations governing civil and commercial operations of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) now in effect, more businesses and innovators are poised to take flight and unlock the tremendous economic benefits of the technology, AUVSI President and CEO Brian Wynne said at a press conference today. Wynne joined U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx and FAA Administrator Michael Huerta to mark the historic ...
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For Immediate Release: Feb. 3, 2016 Contact: Tom McMahon, tmcmahon@auvsi.org, (571) 255-7786 (571) 255-7786 ARLINGTON, Va. – Brian Wynne, president and CEO of the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI), today issued the following statement on the introduction of the Aviation Innovation, Reform, and Reauthorization (AIRR) Act, a six-year reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The legislation was introduced by Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman Bill Shuster (R-PA) and Aviation Subcommittee Chairman Frank LoBiondo (R-NJ). “While we are still reviewing the specifics of the FAA reauthorization ...
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We get a lot of calls from companies and groups looking to purchase a small UAS for various purposes. Many of these groups know very little about UAS so our discussions focus on education and better understanding and articulating their needs so they can find a matching system. Using data from the robotics directory , we’ve compiled a list of statistics and graphs of hand launched and small VTOL UAS to give prospective users an idea of the state of practice of these systems. For the world’s largest list of all UAS including searchable details on specific systems to help with your selection we recommend you subscribe to the robotics directory . Have a robot ...
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 19, 2017 Contact: Tom McMahon, tmcmahon@auvsi.org , (571) 255-7786 AUVSI STATEMENT ON U.S. COURT OF APPEALS DECISION ON UAS REGISTRATION ARLINGTON, Va. — Brian Wynne, president and CEO of the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI), today issued the following statement on the U.S. Court of Appeals decision striking down the FAA’s rule for registering recreational unmanned aircraft systems (UAS): “AUVSI is disappointed with the decision today by the U.S. Court of Appeals to reject the FAA’s rule for registering recreational unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). A UAS registration system is important ...
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Sept. 1, 2016 Contact: Tom McMahon, tmcmahon@auvsi.org , (571) 255-7786 AUVSI's Brian Wynne Named to RTCA Drone Advisory Committee ARLINGTON, Va. – Brian Wynne, president and CEO of the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI), today issued the following statement on his selection to the Radio Technical Commission for Aeronautics’ (RTCA) Drone Advisory Committee (DAC) recently announced by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA): “On behalf of AUVSI, I’m proud to join the RTCA’s Drone Advisory Committee alongside the foremost leaders and thinkers in the unmanned aircraft systems industry. We look ...
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Oct. 12, 2016 Contact: Tom McMahon, tmcmahon@auvsi.org , (571) 255-7786 AUVSI Foundation, White House Release Report on Drone Workshop Proceedings ARLINGTON, Va . – The AUVSI Foundation today released a report on the proceedings of the recent “ Workshop on Drones and the Future of Aviation ,” an event co-hosted with the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. The daylong workshop occurred on August 2 and focused on the continued issues facing the integration of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) into the national airspace system. “The White House's first-ever workshop on drones recognized how UAS will play a vital ...
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For Immediate Release: Dec. 17, 2015 Contact: Tom McMahon, tmcmahon@auvsi.org, (571) 255-7786 ARLINGTON, Va. — Brian Wynne, president and CEO of the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI), today issued the following statement on the Federal Aviation Administration’s fact sheet on state and local regulations of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS): “We are pleased the FAA has asserted its authority over the national airspace, which AUVSI has called for several times. Some recently proposed state and local legislation potentially conflicts with this federal jurisdiction, which would create a complicated patchwork of laws and ordinances ...
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Tweet Lockheed Martin recently launched a small drone from an autonomous underwater vehicle with an assist from an unmanned surface vehicle, which company officials said marked a milestone in robotic cooperation. The demonstration, announced today, occurred in August at the Annual Navy Technology Exercise Activities. In it, a small Vector Hawk UAS launched from a Marlin MK2 underwater vehicle. A third unmanned system, the Submaran USV developed by Ocean Aero, helped with the launch of the Vector Hawk and also supplied surface reconnaissance and surveillance in combination with the other two systems. The Submaran USV transmitted instructions ...
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All consumer drones between 0.55 and 55 pounds will need to be registered. Photos: Parrot, Flying-Cam. by AUVSI News Today, the Federal Aviation Administration announced it will implement a drone registration process before the holidays as a method to keep operators accountable. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx announced the initiative this morning and said the process would run through a registration website that will go live on Dec. 21. Drone registration will cost $5 per operator; however, registration will be free for the first 30 days of the process. “My message to unmanned aircraft operators is simple: It is in your best ...
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Image: FAA. by AUVSI News UPDATE: AUVSI has formally accepted an invitation to participate in the committee. Today, the Federal Aviation Administration announced that it is establishing an aviation rulemaking committee of industry stakeholders that will work on constructing a framework that details how certain UAS could be flown over people not involved with the operation. The committee will focus on micro UAS but instead of focusing on weight classification, the committee will determine which drones are safe over crowds through a performance-based standard. The committee will weigh human injury thresholds, hazard and risk assessment ...
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