In this month’s edition of the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) roundup, we touch on a number of topics, including FAA drone registration, NASA UAV testing, the new Amazon Prime Air, sense and avoid testing, and Homeland Security’s drone privacy regulations.
Task force provides recommendations to FAA for drone registration
A task force headed up by chairs from the FAA and Google, including representation from the AUVSI, has provided their recommendations to the Federal Aviation Administration on how the agency can quickly implement a drone registration process, which is a system that the agency wants to have in place as soon as possible.
Drones between the weights of 0.55 pounds and 55 pounds, according to the taskforce, need to be registered. Unlike manned aircraft, the registration number will belong to the operator, so one number can apply to all of his or her aircraft. Registrants must be over 13 years old, and there is no citizenship requirement or fee to register.
"AUVSI is encouraged by the work of the UAS registration task force and its recommendations to the FAA," AUVSI President and CEO Brian Wynne, who worked with the task force, said in a press release after the announcement. "This collaborative effort is an important step toward developing an efficient process for UAS registration that should lead to increased accountability across the entire aviation community."
Read more about the recommendations.
Read the AUVSI’s statements on the recommendations.
NASA conducts tests with new UAV design
NASA completed a test flight of a new UAV designed to lower drag in hopes of making future aircraft more fuel efficient.
Known as the Preliminary Research Aerodynamic Design to Lower Drag, or Prandtl-D No. 3, completed its flight tests on October 28. The Prandtl was launched from NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, CA, USA, via a bungee launch and flew for one minute and 33 seconds, reaching an altitude of 160 ft. while moving at 15 mph.
Read more about the drone here.
FAA testing tracking and avoidance systems for drones
As part of an FAA program, a series of flight tests in Butner, NC, USA is being conducted to help determine if drones can operate safely beyond the line of sight of their pilots and deal with problems like encountering commercial airplanes or helicopters.
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About the Author
James Carroll
Former VSD Editor James Carroll joined the team 2013. Carroll covered machine vision and imaging from numerous angles, including application stories, industry news, market updates, and new products. In addition to writing and editing articles, Carroll managed the Innovators Awards program and webcasts.