The Federal Aviation Administration and leading unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) trade organizations have scheduled a teleconference to announce a “UAS Safety Campaign,” on December 22, the same day projected as the release date of the agency’s long-delayed draft regulation on small drones.
The FAA, the Association of Unmanned Vehicle Systems International, the Small UAV Coalition and the Academy of Model Aeronautics will participate on the call, according to a media advisory. “Just in time for the holidays, the UAS campaign will provide prospective users of the technology with the information they need to fly safely and responsibly,” states the advisory. There was no mention of the eagerly awaited “small UAS” notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM).
The FAA originally expected to release the NPRM for comment in late 2011, however, it became mired in the federal bureaucracy in part because of privacy concerns associated with aerial surveillance. The latest projected release date of the draft rule is December 22, according to a regularly updated Department of Transportation “report on significant rulemakings.” FAA executives have said the rule will be issued by the end of 2014. But industry observers now doubt the rule will be released this year.
Should it be released, the NPRM will outline the conditions operators must follow to fly drones commercially. However, the draft regulation is expected to attract thousands of comments from the public that the FAA must consider, putting off the publication of a final rule to 2016 or beyond.