Brian Wynne, president and CEO of the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI), issued the following statement on the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA’s) Pathfinder Initiative Cooperative Research and Development Agreements with Gryphon Sensors, Liteye Systems Inc., and Sensofusion to help develop procedures and technologies to identify unauthorized unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) near airports.
“The collaboration between these companies and the FAA is another example of government-industry cooperation and is an important step towards the safe integration of UAS into the national airspace. Equipping airports with technology that can detect, track, and identify UAS that are flying unsafely or in restricted areas will help ensure the safety of the airspace for all aircraft — manned and unmanned.”
In December 2014, AUVSI and the Academy of Model Aeronautics launched Know Before You Fly in partnership with the FAA to provide newcomers to UAS with basic safety information. There are now more than 80 retailers, manufacturers, and distributors of UAS, as well as organizations representing the manned aviation community, helping to promote the campaign.
