A publication of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association
Issue link: http://natca.uberflip.com/i/716610
Small UAS Rule/Part 107 Mr. Weidner and Mr. Richards continue to spend the majority of their time on the implementation and roll out of the new small UAS rule. As a reminder, the small rul e c reated a new part to the FARs – Part 107. The rule also codified Section 336 of the 2012 FAA bill into the FARs. Section 33 6 defines how hobbyist UAS operators function in the NAS. The Section 336 language was moved into FAR Part 101, creating a new subpart e. The small rule goes into effect on Aug. 29th. Mr. Weidner and Mr. Richards have been working closely with the agen cy to ensure that the imp act to air traffic is minimal. The agency has set up a weekly telcon/webinar that is available for all employees to answer questions about the ne w rule and its implementation. The calls will begin on Wednesday, Aug. 24th at 1 p.m . Eastern t ime and will be repeated weekly, on Wednesdays, through Dec. 21st. Mr. Weidner and Mr. Richards will be partici pating in each of those calls. Additionally, NATCA has an email address set up for individual q uestions about the small rule. That email is part107@natca.net . En R oute UAS Contingency Operations Mr. Weidner and Mr. Richards have been participating in a NextGen sponsored research project regarding UAS operatio ns in the en route environment. Thi s research focuses primarily around lost link and how c ontrollers react to lost link. The team has visited ZLA, JCF, ZMP , and ZAU. The team will make its final site visits to ZJX and ZMA in September. The team has also interviewed UAS pilots to hear their perspective on lost link and the pro cedures they currently employ. The goal of this research is to help inform a standardized lost link procedure that will further enable UAS integration into the NAS. White House Office of Science and Technology Drone Work shop On Aug . 2nd, NATCA President Paul Rinaldi and Mr. Weidner took part in the first White House Office of Science and Technology Drone Workshop. The purpose of this workshop was to explore ways to safely accelerate the integration of UAS in the NAS. Mr. Rinaldi took part in the morning session, held at the Eisenho wer Executive Office Building. Mr. Weidner took part in the afternoo n session held at the Newseum. Both sessions were very productive and in formative.