A publication of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association
Issue link: http://natca.uberflip.com/i/1189372
(LAANC) to obtain an authorization (information about USS and limited recreational operators can be found by visiting www.faa.gov/uas). Limited recreational operators can request, and receive approval, to fly at or below altitudes indicated on the UAS Facility Map (UASFM) for the airspace in which they want to operate. • Limited recreational flyers can fly at a recreational flyer fixed site, that has a written letter of agreement (LOA) with the FAA. Several of these sites that have been identified around the country. A list and map of those sites can also be found at www.faa.gov/uas, under the Recreational Flyer section. If you have one of these sites in your airspace, you should be familiar with the associated LOA with the operating organization. So what does this mean for Air Traffic Control? NO MORE CALLS TO THE TOWER! Thanks to the change in the 2018 FAA bill, "notification" no longer exists. If you receive a call in the tower from ANY drone operator, asking for authorization to fly in your airspace, direct them to www.faa.gov/uas for information on how they can legally operate in controlled airspace. Drone Advisory Committee Meeting - NATCA's EVP Trish Gilbert and NATCA UAS Article 114 Rep Steve Weidner participated in the Drone Advisory Committee (DAC) meeting held at NTSB headquarters on Oct. 17. The DAC was given three taskings during the meeting: • Facility Maps - This task group is charged with making recommendations for better FAA/industry collaboration to update and improve UAS facility maps and airspace access for all operators. • Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) Challenges - This group will provide recommendations on the remaining challenges for BVLOS operations. • Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM) - This group will review the UTM ConOps 2.0 concept and provide information regarding the most important UTM concepts for industry. NATCA will be represented on workgroups 1 and 2 by Steve Weidner. Chris Keyes will represent NATCA on workgroup 3, assisted by Steve Weidner. UAS Integration Pilot Program (IPP) - Mr. Weidner continues to participate in the IPP where there is air traffic control impact or interaction. Kansas DOT, conducing on-airport operations at Wichita (ICT), Memphis Airport Authority, conducting on-airport operation with FedEx at the Memphis airport (MEM), the city of Reno, where defibrillators are being delivered by drones, and the city of San Diego, where the Chula Vista Police Department is using drones to survey active crime scenes, monitor suspect pursuits, and various other public safety missions are all examples in the IPP. Mr. Weidner attended an IPP workshop at the Chula Vista Police Department (CVPD) with SCT VP Jimmy Smith to review CVPD's operation and discuss next steps for expanding their use of drones. To date, CVPD has safely conducted over 1,000 UAS operations with virtually no air traffic impact. The program they have developed under the IPP is one of the leading public safety drone use programs in the country. Center Engagement on Higher Altitude Best Practices - MITRE is conducting research into the best practices in High-E airspace in the U.S. Interviews were conducted with a NATCA member from each of the following facilities: ZOA, ZLA, ZAB, ZMA, and ZSU. Thank you to Jeff Plendl (ZLA), Danny Watson (ZAB), Cliff Catterlin (ZOA), Jim Dossing (ZMA), and Steve Swiech (ZSU) for their willingness to participate and provide MITRE with insight on operations at their respective facilities.