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News and Updates – Recreational Drone Flying Aeronautical Test Moves Forward

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WASHINGTON To advance public safety of the largest segment of drone operations, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) today announced the organizations selected to advise the agency in developing test administration requirements for the recreational Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) aeronautical knowledge and safety test.

A law passed in 2018 requires that recreational drone flyers pass an online aeronautical knowledge and safety test and carry proof of test passage with them while operating a drone. There are more than one million FAA registered recreational drone flyers. To ensure that flight operations are conducted safely, the FAA is developing a test to increase the aeronautical knowledge of recreational drone flyers.

On September 17, the FAA issued a Request for Information (RFI) seeking to work with stakeholders on the administration of a new aeronautical knowledge test for recreational drone flyers. Based on their responses to the RFI, the organizations below were selected to advise the agency in developing the test administration process.

  • Embry Riddle Aeronautical University
  • Drone Launch Academy Southeastern University
  • Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC)
  • DJI
  • Horizon Hobby, LLC.
  • Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Coach
  • King Schools
  • Unmanned Safety Institute
  • First Person View (FPV) Freedom Coalition
  • Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association
  • Academy of Model Aeronautics
  • Drone Racing League

The above organizations will make recommendations to the FAA on the safety test administration requirements. From these recommendations, the FAA will develop the final requirements that potential test administrators must meet. These requirements, and any associated selection criteria for test administrators will be announced on FAA.gov.

The test must be administered electronically by the FAA, community-based organizations, or others designated by the FAA. The FAAs objective is to work with third party entities to allow them to administer the knowledge training and test content on various platforms for the recreational flyer community.

Section 44809 of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 (PDF) requires new conditions to operate recreational drones. Many drones can be flown today with minimal training or knowledge of aviation rules or safety practices. The statute provided an opportunity to educate recreational flyers on UAS safety and to bring new flyers into the existing aviation safety culture.

News and Updates – FAA: Do Not Aim Laser-Light Displays at Sky

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WASHINGTON The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a warning today that holiday laser-light displays aimed at houses become potentially dangerous when aimed into the sky.

The agency receives reports each year from pilots who are distracted or temporarily blinded by residential laser-light displays. This creates a serious safety risk to pilots and their passengers flying overhead.

The extremely concentrated beams of laser lights reach much farther than might be realized. People with laser-light displays that affect pilots will be asked to adjust them or turn them off. A refusal to do so could lead to a civil penalty.

The warning comes as laser strikes against aircraft continue to increase. From January 1 to November 23 this year the FAA recorded 5,486 laser incidents, up from the 4,949 incidents recorded during the same period last year.

Intentionally aiming a laser at an aircraft is a serious safety risk and violates federal law. The FAA works with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to pursue civil and criminal penalties against individuals who purposely aim a laser at an aircraft. The agency may impose civil penalties of up to $11,000 per violation. Civil penalties of up to $30,800 have been imposed by the FAA against individuals for multiple laser incidents.

News and Updates – LAANC Drone Program Expansion Continues

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WASHINGTON The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) today announced two important expansions of the Low Altitude Authorization and Capability (LAANC), which automates the application and approval process for drone operators to obtain airspace authorizations.

Four airports Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, Dulles International Airport, William P. Hobby Airport in Houston and Newark Liberty International Airport joined the list of approximately 400 air traffic facilities covering about 600 airports where LAANC is available.

Access to the service is provided through one of the FAA-approved UAS Service Suppliers. The seven companies listed below are the latest to enter into partnerships with the agency, bringing the total to 21.

  • Airspacelink
  • Avision
  • Botlink
  • Collins Aerospace
  • Drone Up
  • Simulyze
  • Skygrid

LAANC, a collaboration between the FAA and the Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) industry that directly supports the safe integration ofUAS into the nations airspace, expedites the time it takes for drone pilots to receive authorizations to fly under 400 feet in controlled airspace. The service is accessible to all pilots who operate under theFAAs small drone rule(Part 107).

LAANC began as a prototype in 2017. To date, there have been more than 170,000 approved authorizations through LAANC. The program was expanded in July to provide near real-time airspace authorizations to recreational flyers.

The programs continued expansion further increases the ability of drone pilots to gain safe and efficient access to controlled airspace nationwide.

For updates to LAANC capabilities, visit our website.

News and Updates – FAA Issues Denver Environmental Assessment

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WASHINGTON The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued a Final Environmental Assessment (EA) for the Denver Metroplex project.

Before the FAA makes a final decision on the project, the agency will hold a 32-day public comment period. This will allow people to comment on the changes made in the Final EA compared to the Draft EA, and on any of the preliminary determinations under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act.

The project would use cutting-edge satellite navigation to move air traffic more safely and efficiently through the area. Satellite-based routes would allow for more direct and efficient routing of aircraft into and out of Denver and surrounding airports, enhancing aviation safety and efficiency, and potentially reducing flight delays.

The project also would expand the number of entry and exit points into and out of the Denver airspace, by segregating Denver arrival traffic from satellite airport traffic and creating additional departure routes, similar to creating more on- and off-ramps in the sky. The project includes two major airports, Denver International Airport and Centennial Airport, and three satellite airports Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport, Northern Colorado Regional Airport and Greeley-Weld County Airport.

Prior to issuing the Final EA, the FAA held a total of 24 public workshops in 2017 and in the spring of 2019, conducted approximately 78 briefings for community groups, airport officials, and local, state and federal officials. The agency also evaluated and responded to 518 public comments.

The public is invited to submit comments by mail, or via the web comment form available online throughout the comment period.

Electronic copies of the Final EA and supporting materials, including all Section 106 materials, are available at the following locations:

  • Online at the Project website.
  • Electronic versions of the Final EA have been sent to 78 libraries in the General Study Area with a request to make the digital document available to patrons. A complete list of libraries with electronic copies of the Final EA is available online at the Project website.

News and Updates – FAA Seeks Comments on Draft Environmental Assessment for Las Vegas Metroplex Project

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WASHINGTON-The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is seeking public comment on the Draft Environmental Assessment (Draft EA) for the Las Vegas Metroplex Project, which proposes to use cutting-edge satellite navigation to move air traffic more efficiently through Southern Nevada.

While the airspace around Las Vegas is already safe, its not as efficient as it could be. The FAA proposes to address the inefficiencies by implementing new routes that are more direct, automatically separated from each other, and have efficient climb and descent profiles. The potential benefits of these routes can include reductions in pilot-controller communications, miles flown, fuel burn and CO2 emissions.

The project includes new and replacement arrival and departure routes for McCarran International Airport, Henderson Executive Airport and North Las Vegas Airport.

The FAA released the projects Draft EA on Nov.18 for public review. There will be a 32-day public comment period on the document from Nov.18 through Dec. 20, 2019.

The document is posted on the Las Vegas Metroplex website. The Draft EA indicates the project would not have any significant environmental impacts under federal environmental law.

Also available on the website are Google Earth images that allow people to compare current and proposed routes, and see the noise analysis the FAA conducted at more than 172,000 grid points throughout the project General Study Area.

The FAA will host five public workshops for the Draft EA between Monday, Dec. 9 and Friday, Dec. 13, 2019. The workshops will feature informational videos and display boards that show existing and proposed routes and explain the inefficiencies in the current system. FAA representatives will be available to answer questions and demonstrate the Google Earth features.

The workshops will be open-house format, where people can attend any time during the posted times to learn about the project. Free parking will be available at all locations.

The workshop dates and locations are as follows:

Dec. 9, 2019
5:00 p.m. 7:30 p.m.
Clark County Government Center Pueblo Room
500 S. Grand Central Pkwy., Las Vegas, NV 89155

Dec. 10, 2019
5:00 p.m. 7:30 p.m.
North Las Vegas Airport Grand Canyon Conference Room
2730 Airport Drive, North Las Vegas, NV 89032

Dec. 11, 2019
5:00 p.m. 7:30 p.m.
Desert Breeze Community Center Meeting Room
8275 Spring Mountain Road, Las Vegas, NV 89147

Dec. 12, 2019
4:45 p.m. 7:15 p.m.
Windmill Library Meeting Room
7060 Windmill Lane, Las Vegas, NV 89113

Dec. 13, 2019
5:00 p.m. 7:30 p.m.
Henderson Executive Airport North/South Meeting Room
3500 Executive Terminal Drive, Henderson, NV 89052

People can submit comments on the project online at 9-las-metroplex-ea@faa.gov, in person at the public workshops, and by writing to:

Las Vegas Metroplex Draft EA Federal Aviation Administration
Western Service CenterOperations Support Group
2200 S. 216th Street
Des Moines, WA 98198-6547

After evaluating and responding to all substantive public comments, the FAA could adopt the entire proposal, adopt portions of it, or modify it.

Additional information about the project, including previous public outreach activities, is available on the FAAs Las Vegas Community Involvement website.