A publication of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association
Issue link: http://natca.uberflip.com/i/733446
interests such as industry, labor, and academia, and will help us prior itize and address the key issues affecting the integration of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) in to the NAS. These issues include how the proliferation of UAS can affect existing airspace users and the general public, and about how to ensure safe UAS operat ion within the NAS. This new indus try is moving at a swift pace. In only nine months, more than 550,000 UAS users have registered on the FAA ' s drone registry. In the first four weeks since the Part 107 Small UAS rule went into effect on August 29, more tha n 15,000 people have received their Remote Pilot Certif icate as required by the rule. Also, one forecast expects more than 7 million drones to be sold in the U.S. by 2020. At the DAC ' s first meeting, one of the more striking points made was about how the U AS i ndustry is expected to evolve. Today, we ' re talking about small - sized UAS operating in isolated areas within the pilot ' s visual line of sight. In the months and years ahead, we ' ll be transitioning to larger UAS, flying over populated areas, and traveli ng beyond the pilot ' s visual line of sight. As we move forward, we ' ll be reviewing the research being conducted by the FAA ' s UAS Center of Excellence (COE) , as well as the operati ons being conducted at the UAS test sites . We will also be watching the progress of the FAA - NASA UAS Traffic Management initiative, an effort to ensure that as UAS presence increa ses and extends beyond visual line of sight they don ' t run into each other or manned aircraft. In addition to these activities, we ' ve started an initiative called Counter UAS (cUAS) to address the concern of unauthorized UAS operations near airport s or in unauthorized airspace. As part of this effort, we ' re working with the Departments of Defense, Energy, Interior, and the FBI to evaluate the cost and effectiveness of UAS detection technologies. We have to determine the roles and responsibilities regarding use of these technologies in airpo rt and air traffic operations. We ' ve already tested some of these technologies at JFK and Atlantic City airports, and we ' re planning to conduct a pilot program at two major airports by next summer. As we move forward, the ATO will be fully engaged in these efforts. We have to provide our input and prepare our workforce in whatever way necessary, including giving them the training and too ls they need to be successful. Thanks everyone, Teri L. Bristol ATO Chief Operating Off icer