Will Involve A Wide Array Of Aviation Industry Stakeholders

The newly established Drone Advisory Committee (DAC) will hold its inaugural meeting on September 16.

In May, FAA Administrator Michael Huerta (pictured) asked Brian Krzanich, Chief Executive Officer of Intel Corp., to chair the advisory committee and to partner in the process of choosing members that represent a broad base of aviation users. Nearly 400 people and organizations expressed interest in becoming part of the committee.

After reviewing the expressions of interest, the FAA invited members to serve on the committee. These members represent a wide array of stakeholders, including unmanned aircraft manufacturers and operators, traditional manned aviation groups, labor organizations, radio and navigation equipment manufacturers, airport operators and state and local officials.

“Safety is a shared responsibility in which each of us plays a vital role,” said Huerta. “We know from experience that the FAA’s policies and overall regulation of small unmanned aircraft will be more successful if we involve a strong and diverse coalition.”

“Drones will be one of the great computing platforms of the future. It’s an honor to serve as the Chair of the Drone Advisory Committee.  I look forward to promoting innovation in drone technology that will improve people's lives while spurring economic growth,” said Krzanich.

The DAC was formed under the RTCA federal advisory committee and will meet at least three times a year. Members will discuss key issues and challenges associated with integrating unmanned aircraft in the world’s busiest and most complicated airspace system. The committee will conduct more detailed business through a subcommittee and various task groups that will help the FAA prioritize its activities, including the development of future regulations and policies.

The Drone Advisory Committee is modeled on the highly successful NextGen Advisory Committee, which regularly consults on the ongoing development of the NextGen Air Transportation System. NextGen is a multi-year, multi-billion dollar program to modernize the National Airspace System through the use of satellite-based navigation procedures and advanced computer and communications technology.

The FAA sent a notice to the Federal Register providing details about the first meeting of the newly established Drone Advisory Committee (DAC). The notice is expected to be published in the Federal Register this week. The membership of the DAC will be posted on the RTCA website.

The inaugural Drone Advisory Committee Meeting will occur at 9:00 a.m. on Sept. 16 at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, 1616 Rhode Island Avenue, NW, Washington, DC, 20036.

(Source: FAA news release. Images from file)

FMI: www.faa.gov, www.rtca.org