FAA Behind Schedule Bringing Drones Into U.S. Airspace

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By Trey Thoelcke Published
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An audit report from the Department of Transportation’s Inspector General warns that Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is “significantly behind schedule” in meeting the September 2015 deadline set by Congress for integrating commercial unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) — aka drones — into U.S. airspace.

While the FAA Modernization and Reform Act was passed in 2012 with the aim of significantly increasing commercial and law enforcement use of drones in the coming years, concerns continue to be raised about the safety of the technology.

According to the report, the FAA has failed to reach a consensus on technology standards for how drones should detect and avoid other aircraft and maintain communication with ground control stations. No regulatory framework for drone integration has been established, drone safety data is not effectively being collected or analyzed, and no procedures are in place for sharing drone safety data with the largest user of drones, the U.S. Department of Defense.

An FAA spokesperson acknowledged that safely integrating drones into U.S. airspace is challenging, but said that significant progress toward that goal had been made. The agency has published a UAS road map that addresses current and future policies, regulations, technologies and procedures, as required by the 2012 law. The FAA also has issued a comprehensive plan for simplifying the process of authorizing UAS flights.

The FAA forecasts there will be around 7,500 active drones in the United States in five years, ranging in size from smaller than a radio-controlled model airplane to having a wingspan comparable to a Boeing 737. Their uses will include monitoring forest fires and borders, military training, assisting in law enforcement and even package delivery.

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About the Author Trey Thoelcke →

Trey has been an editor and author at 24/7 Wall St. for more than a decade, where he has published thousands of articles analyzing corporate earnings, dividend stocks, short interest, insider buying, private equity, and market trends. His comprehensive coverage spans the full spectrum of financial markets, from blue-chip stalwarts to emerging growth companies.

Beyond 24/7 Wall St., Trey has created and edited financial content for Benzinga and AOL's BloggingStocks, contributing additional hundreds of articles to the investment community. He previously oversaw the 24/7 Climate Insights site, managing editorial operations and content strategy, and currently oversees and creates content for My Investing News.

Trey's editorial expertise extends across multiple publishing environments. He served as production editor at Dearborn Financial Publishing and development editor at Kaplan, where he helped shape financial education materials. Earlier in his career, he worked as a writer-producer at SVE. His freelance editing portfolio includes work for prestigious clients such as Sage Publications, Rand McNally, the Institute for Supply Management, the American Library Association, Eggplant Literary Productions, and Spiegel.

Outside of financial journalism, Trey writes fiction and has been an active member of the writing community for years, overseeing a long-running critique group and moderating workshop sessions at regional conventions. He lives with his family in an old house in the Midwest.

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