The so-called Beyond Visual Line of Sight Aviation Rulemaking Committee (BVLOS ARC) of the FAA published its final report last week. The committee is charged with paving the way toward broader commercial use of drones in the U.S., and its findings are being widely applauded by many in the sector who have sought a broader scope for commercial drone operations, including in applications like search and rescue and delivery.
“Around the world, commercial drones are saving lives, making jobs more efficient, inspecting infrastructure at scale, and growing the economy,” said Lisa Ellman, Executive Director of the Commercial Drone Alliance, an industry trade group. “But here in the U.S., existing regulations hold back the drone industry by unnecessarily applying incongruous standards and approaches designed for crewed aircraft. This ARC report outlines a common-sense, risk-based, performance-based approach that balances safety with innovation, and will enable drone-based operations to scale in the U.S. for the benefit of all Americans.”
Industry advocates have argued that unlocking the BVLOS marketplace will advance progress across a number of areas, including sustainable transportation, carbon emission reduction, equitable access to medicines and vaccines, safer and more effective critical infrastructure inspection, emergency response, aerospace jobs, and domestic manufacturing.
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