The newly established Drone Advisory Committee, which includes stakeholders from the aviation and unmanned aircraft industry, will meet at least three times a year to discuss the safe integration of drones into U.S. airspace, the FAA said in a statement.
A newly formed federal committee on unmanned aircraft systems will hold its inaugural meeting next week in Washington, DC, according to a statement from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Established under the Radio Technical Commission for Aeronautics (RTCA) federal advisory committee, the Drone Advisory Committee (DAC) includes stakeholders from the aviation industry, unmanned aircraft manufacturers and operators, traditional manned aviation groups, labor organizations, radio and navigation equipment manufacturers, airport operators, and state and local officials.
RTCA is a private, not-for-profit association founded in 1935. The committee will convene at least three times a year to discuss the safe integration of drones into U.S. airspace.
Through a subcommittee and various task groups, the DAC aims to help the FAA prioritize its activities, including the development of future regulations and policies.
FAA said the committee is modeled on the NextGen Advisory Committee, which regularly consults on the ongoing development of the NextGen Air Transportation System, 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.
Chaired by Intel Corp. CEO Brian Krzanich, members of the DAC include:
• Greg Agvent, CNN;
• Deborah Ale Flint, Los Angeles World Airports;
• Juan Alonso, Stanford University;
• Mark Baker, Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association;
• Jaz Banga, Airspace Technologies;
• Linden Blue, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems;
• Robert Boyd, Riley County, Kansas;
• Tim Canoll, Air Line Pilots Association;
• Nancy Egan, 3D Robotics;
• Trish Gilbert, National Air Traffic Controllers Association;
• Martin Gomez-Vesclir, Facebook;
• Todd Graetz, BNSF Railway;
• David Greene, Wisconsin Department of Transportation, Bureau of Aeronautics;
• Ryan Hartman, Insitu;
• Robert Isom, American Airlines;
• Gur Kimchi, Amazon Prime Air;
• Ed Lee, San Francisco, California;
• Nancy Leveson, Massachusetts Institute of Technology;
• Dave Mathewson, Academy of Model Aeronautics;
• Nan Mattai, Rockwell Collins;
• Houston Mills, UPS;
• Marily Mora, Reno-Tahoe Airport Authority;
• Christopher Penrose, AT&T;
• Steven Rush, Professional Helicopter Pilots Association;
• Lillian Ryals, The MITRE Corporation;
• Robie Samanta Roy, Lockheed Martin;
• Paola Santana, Matternet;
• Ed Sayadian, Harris Corporation;
• Brendan Schulman, DJI Technology;
• Phil Straub, Garmin International;
• Dave Vos, Google X;
• Brian Wynne, Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International;
• Robert Young, PrecisionHawk;
• And Matthew Zuccaro, Helicopter Association International.
The inaugural meeting will be held at 9 a.m. Sept. 16 at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and is open to the public.
“Safety is a shared responsibility in which each of us plays a vital role,” FAA Administrator Michael Huerta said of the DAC. “We know from experience that the FAA’s polices 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, ” added Krzanich. “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.”