NASA studies to help shape US drone regulations
With 2.7 million drones predicted to be in operation in the US by 2020, researchers at NASA are studying air-traffic control methods that could be used for all UAV devices flying below 500 feet. Given the diversity of companies, equipment, and usage anticipated in the drone space, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is expected to collaborate on guidance for drones, rather than guide them itself. NASA is to conduct further tests in 'geofencing' to prevent drones from flying in restricted areas, and flying out of an operator's sight or control. The FAA is expected to announce its first set of regulations for drones under 55 pounds (around 25kg) this month.

Bart Jansen

USA TODAY

WASHINGTON – Call it the drone zone. NASA researchers are studying ways to safely manage flights of remote-controlled aircraft as the skies grow more crowded below 500 feet.

The effort may sound futuristic with only 5,300 commercial permits granted nationwide by the Federal Aviation Administration. But Parimal Kopardekar, NASA’s principal investigator for drone traffic management, told a conference Thursday of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics that an estimated 2.7 million commercial drones will be flying by 2020.

The FAA typically requires drone operators to keep the aircraft within sight during daylight hours and less than 500 feet above ground. Hobbyists follow similar rules.

Kopardekar said the goal of air-traffic control for drones is to allow flights farther than the operator can see – and perhaps at night – in much more crowded skies. His cautionary tale is that even though the skies seemed empty in 1956, two airliners collided above the Grand Canyon and spurred the creation of the air-traffic control system.

“That is what we’re trying to avoid,” Kopardekar said.

Drone sightings decline but remain contentious

In contrast to airliners, the FAA isn’t expected to guide drones itself. NASA is helping the FAA develop rules of the road, which operators such as proposed delivery services from Amazon, Google and Walmart could adopt in order to fly safely and reliably.

With thousands of companies flying independently, with different equipment and different ways of using it, answers could be complicated. The research with 200 collaborators including the FAA and the Defense Department could determine how multiple operators and aircraft communicate with each other to avoid each other's flight paths, while also providing warnings about bad weather such as wind or icing.

“It really will be an information service,” said John Hansman, an aeronautics professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

NASA concluded field testing in August 2015 and is continuing more testing at an FAA site about programming called “geofencing” that prevents drones from flying in restricted areas.

More tests scheduled for October will focus on flying farther than the operator can see in sparsely populated areas. Tests scheduled for January 2018 will focus on keeping space between drones that have lost their link to their operators over moderately populated areas.

Sean Cassidy, director of strategic partnerships for Amazon Prime Air, said his company will likely use different types of aircraft for different deliveries.

“We’re going to deliver to the most-safe location possible,” said Cassidy, a former airline pilot.

“We want to be good neighbors,” he added, when asked about public concerns with drones flying in congested skies over urban areas.

Craig Marcinkowski, director of business development for Gryphon Sensors, which provides drone surveillance for the Army and others, said a $250 million program in New York State aims to create a traffic management system in cooperation with NASA and FAA for drones to fly farther away than operators can see.

“Building that out and certifying it within five years is the goal of the program,” he said.

Even before rules are set, demand is growing. Legislation approved in the Senate and awaiting House action calls on the Transportation Department to develop regulations within two years for commercial drone deliveries.

Senate bill seeks to regulate drone deliveries

The FAA is expected to complete its first general regulations this month for commercial drones weighing up to 55 pounds, with rules similar to the 5,300 individual permits already granted. The comprehensive rule is expected to open the floodgates for commercial uses.

“We simply don’t have the option of doing nothing,” Cassidy said.