Pitch for unmanned flights could come by year's end

Supporters of flying aircraft without pilots in commercial airspace could approach the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) by the end of the year with proposed standards and regulations for so-called unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), according to a source familiar with the process.

The FAA has yet to certify UAVs as "airworthy" for flight in commercial airspace, but industry officials believe the planes could be used for firefighting, geological surveys, border patrol and other homeland security efforts, as well as for television and movie production. Currently, the military primarily uses UAVs in restricted airspace for surveillance and targeting missions.

UAVs are "on the cusp of evolving from military application to commercial application," said Pat Picariello, director of developmental operations for ASTM International, which last month assembled 170 industry and government officials to start drafting proposed requirements for flying UAVs in FAA-controlled airspace. He called the FAA "the gatekeeper" to commercial use.

FAA spokesman Les Dorr said the agency has not yet received a formal application to certify any UAVs for flights in commercial space. But under ASTM's leadership, government officials and industry representatives hope to submit a "rulemaking proposal" soon, and Picariello believes that the "new ASTM Committee on Unmanned Air Vehicle Systems should serve to position the UAV industry to approach the FAA by year's end."

The group is concentrating on three areas: airworthiness, flight operation and operation quality, with a focus on meeting the FAA's "see and avoid" requirement. The agency worries that unlike piloted aircraft guided by air-traffic controllers, UAVs do not have the equivalent capability to see and avoid other aircraft in flight.

"It's the largest hurdle" to gaining access to commercial airspace, Picariello said.

While the industry has developed "detect and avoid" technology such as lasers, sensors and cameras, the FAA has not said if the technology is equivalent to its see-and-avoid standard. "FAA has not told people exactly what they want," said Joe Hart, senior vice president for unmanned technologies at DRS Technologies.

The group also would like FAA to let UAV operators file paperwork and fly on the same day that they file rather than filing a "certificate of operation," a case-by-case approval process that can take from five to 60 days.

"It's the keys to the industry emerging," said one industry official, who asked to remain anonymous, arguing that waiting 60 days does not utilize a "responsive, technical and safe" way to fight fires, catch drug smugglers crossing U.S. borders and help with other policing efforts.