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Federal Aviation Administration

Rules to allow commercial drones are behind schedule

Bart Jansen
USA TODAY
A drone flies over the scene of an explosion that leveled two apartment buildings in the East Harlem neighborhood of New York on March 12, 2014.

The Federal Aviation Administration is likely to miss a September 2015 deadline for setting regulations that would allow widespread use of commercial drones, according to testimony at a congressional hearing Wednesday.

The rules might not come until 2017, said Gerald Dillingham, director of civil aviation at the Government Accountability Office.

The FAA has approved a dozen commercial uses of drones, including four more companies Wednesday, while developing comprehensive rules. But the agency missed an August deadline for proposing rules governing drones weighing up to 55 pounds, which is now expected this month.

The hearing illustrated the strong interest in flying more drones across the country but also the fears of possible collisions with passenger planes.

Rep. Dina Titus, D-Nev., said companies are eager to test drones in Nevada's wide-open spaces, and casinos want to use drones to deliver bottles of liquor to customers near their pools.

But she told the House Transportation subcommittee on aviation that the Federal Aviation Administration has been slow to shepherd research and develop regulations.

Titus said drone advocates "just don't think it's getting off the ground, so to speak."

Rep. Elizabeth Esty, D-Conn., agreed that drones represent a great opportunity but also pointed to the risk.

"If seagulls can take down an aircraft, what do we think metal can do?" Esty said.

In 2012, Congress ordered the FAA to integrate drones into the national airspace by September 2015. But watchdogs such as Dillingham say the rules "are unlikely to be achieved by the mandated dates."

"All of us who are involved in the project know how important it is to get it out," said Peggy Gilligan, FAA associate administrator for aviation safety.

Congress is taking more interest in the industry because nearly $90 billion worldwide is expected to be invested in drone technology over the next decade. Advocates warned that Canada, Australia and countries in Europe are allowing drones to fly more readily, and they could lead development if the U.S. doesn't act faster.

"The results so far appear to be mixed," said Rep. Frank LoBiondo, R-N.J., the subcommittee chairman. "Why can't we also be doing this?"

Jesse Kallman, head of business development and regulatory affairs for Airware, which develops flight-control systems for drones, urged regulators to put the toughest restrictions on the riskiest operations while more easily allowing flights in open areas.

Kallman said there was great interest in commercial uses of drones, from large corporations, such as General Electric, which invested in Airware, to small farmers.

"Let's act quickly before major opportunities are lost," Kallman said.

Regulating drones is complicated.

Matthew Hampton, Transportation Department assistant inspector general for aviation audits, noted the challenges in ensuring that passenger pilots are aware of where drones are flying and that drones return to the ground safely if they lose contact with remote pilots.

Capt. Lee Moak, president of the Air Line Pilots Association, a union representing 50,000 commercial pilots, showed the committee pictures of airliner noses and wings damaged by birds and said drones with batteries and GPS devices would do worse in collisions.

"We recognize them as a potential for a safety risk," Moak said.

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