Did you see that plane on Page One? It looks like a remote control toy airplane. But it’s not. It’s an unmanned aircraft. Some are no bigger than a hummingbird and others have wingspans as big as a commercial jet. They are the newest thing in aviation, and they represent a huge growth opportunity for the Valley’s aerospace industry. AeroVironment Inc., FO Engineering and other local companies are moving swiftly to meet the demand, investing in both capital and personnel. The FAA predicts that by 2020, there may be as many as 30,000 of these pilot-less aircraft in U.S. air space. Drones landed on America’s radar when it became public that they are used to track Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups in Afghanistan and Pakistan. But did you know that they are already being used to patrol the border with Mexico and track illegal drug trade back home? The Seattle Police Department has begun training for the use of drones. The list of possible uses goes on and on. They could be deployed to fight wild fires, monitor traffic or conduct search and rescue operations. They could even replace loud and noisy traffic helicopters in Los Angeles. And Valley companies have the opportunity to cash in on these commercial uses. But there are privacy concerns with these aircraft — and rightly so. Technology is racing ahead of the law. The FAA is set to establish rules for use of drones weighing 4 pounds or less by police departments and emergency responders this month. And the agency has a Sept. 30, 2015, deadline to fully integrate drones of all sizes into the national airspace. That may be too late. Three years is an eon in technology. By then we could have thousands of these unmanned flying aircraft in the skies — needlessly alarming people and privacy advocates. Who knows? You may have one land in your yard and think it was the next-door neighbor kid’s toy plane only to discover it’s an electronic eye. An expedited regulatory process would help Valley area companies plan for the future and tailor their technologies in a way that’s in keeping with the law, so as not to slow innovation or force companies to eat future compliance costs. It’s also necessary for regulators to decide on clear cut privacy regulations around the use of these camera and microphone carrying devices. Drones raise a host of complex questions about safety and national security. Getting in front on regulation is critical. While politicians and privacy experts debate the merits of more regulation, the industry itself recognizes that regulation will help — not hurt — business. Earlier this month, Michael Toscano, president and CEO of the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood asking him to expedite the publication of the small unmanned aircraft system (UAS) notice of proposed rulemaking. In his letter, Toscano said “the UAS industry believes the pending rule is urgently needed and will provide meaningful guidance to manufacturers and end users for design, construction and operation of small UAS to safely operate and deliver crucial services to law enforcement, agriculture and other sectors of the American economy…UAS will be the next big revolution in aviation; however, before this industry can really take off, we need rules from the FAA on how to safely operate alongside manned aircraft.” As GT Aeronautics President Tom Rullman told Staff Reporter Mark Madler: “I am proponent of regulating these things…They can cause damage if in the wrong hands.” We agree. And the time to set ground rules is now. Valley companies are ready for takeoff.
