A very recent change in the attitudes of US regulators has opened new opportunities for experimenting with small unmanned systems, says the head of Google Project Wing.
“Three to four months ago we were a little bit concerned about how much progress we could make in the US,” says Dave Vos, kicking off AUVSI general session on 5 May. “In the recent two to three weeks I think things have made a dramatic change. It is actually now possible to do a lot in the US.”
Google famously launched testing of an experimental delivery service called Project Wing in Australia partly because such activity was highly restricted in US airspace by the Federal Aviation Administration.
Amazon executives also have complained about the restrictions and processing delays of approvals to test its unmanned delivery concept in the USA.
But Vos says the dialogue with the FAA has shifted very recently to become more open. He did not list any specifics, but there have been signs that the FAA is relaxing certain regulations. For example, Section 333 exemptions previously required a commercially-rated pilot to operate the unmanned air vehicle, but in recent weeks the FAA has allowed operators with sport pilot ratings.
“Last month has been really inspiring,” Vos says. “I think we’re in really fine shape as long as we keep talking.”
Source: FlightGlobal.com
