Post by Major Destruction on Feb 20, 2006 14:08:44 GMT -5
AOPA STANDS GUARD ON UNREGULATED UAVs
AOPA has prompted the FAA to keep an unregulated unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) operation out of navigable airspace above one North Carolina community. "Safety is paramount, and current airspace users must be assured that a reasonable level of safety can be maintained," said Melissa Rudinger, AOPA vice president of regulatory affairs. "The prospect of small UAVs flitting around in the same airspace we use is frightening. We know what kind of damage a 5-pound bird can do to a GA aircraft. Imagine what would happen if you hit a 14-pound UAV?" The issue came to a head when AOPA learned that the Gaston County Police Department in North Carolina had bought a hand-launched "CyberBUG" UAV from Cyber Defense Systems. The company sells the small radio-controlled drones as cheap helicopter substitutes for police, military, and news gathering uses. The company says the 14-pound UAV cruises at 29 mph at 1,300 feet agl, which puts it easily into navigable airspace and a potential midair collision. AOPA contacted the FAA, and agency officials worked with the police department. The local authorities agreed to operate by the provisions of Advisory Circular 91-57, "Model Aircraft Operating Standards," which require the drones to remain clear of navigable airspace and below 400 feet agl. The association said that UAV operators and their drones should be certified to meet the operating requirements that manned aircraft currently meet, and that includes the ability to sense and avoid other aircraft. See AOPA Online.
ECLIPSE WINS COLLIER TROPHY
Eclipse Aviation Corp. has won the 2005 Robert J. Collier Trophy "for the greatest achievement in aeronautics or astronautics in America." The 95-year-old trophy, aviation's most prestigious award, will be presented to the company "for leadership, innovation, and the advancement of general aviation" in the production of very light jets. Past winners of the award include Orville Wright, Howard Hughes, Chuck Yeager, Scott Crossfield, the crew of Apollo 11, and the SpaceShipOne team. The award is administered by the National Aeronautic Association.
FOSSETT CREATES NEW RECORD WITH GLOBAL JAUNT
Steve Fossett will receive a record from the National Aeronautic Association (NAA) April 28 in Washington, D.C., for his nonstop flight around the world and on to England aboard the Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer, but it's not the record he really wants. An NAA official said Fossett had hoped to win a record for the farthest flight by any vehicle, but such a category does not exist, so he will get a record called "Distance Without Landing" for airplanes. The world-circling records for balloons are in a separate category; therefore, those records will still stand. The NAA official said the consideration of a new overall category is something that needs to be addressed. Fossett's record will be confirmed after a review of recording devices that flew aboard the GlobalFlyer. Fossett currently holds 82 aeronautical records.
AOPA has prompted the FAA to keep an unregulated unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) operation out of navigable airspace above one North Carolina community. "Safety is paramount, and current airspace users must be assured that a reasonable level of safety can be maintained," said Melissa Rudinger, AOPA vice president of regulatory affairs. "The prospect of small UAVs flitting around in the same airspace we use is frightening. We know what kind of damage a 5-pound bird can do to a GA aircraft. Imagine what would happen if you hit a 14-pound UAV?" The issue came to a head when AOPA learned that the Gaston County Police Department in North Carolina had bought a hand-launched "CyberBUG" UAV from Cyber Defense Systems. The company sells the small radio-controlled drones as cheap helicopter substitutes for police, military, and news gathering uses. The company says the 14-pound UAV cruises at 29 mph at 1,300 feet agl, which puts it easily into navigable airspace and a potential midair collision. AOPA contacted the FAA, and agency officials worked with the police department. The local authorities agreed to operate by the provisions of Advisory Circular 91-57, "Model Aircraft Operating Standards," which require the drones to remain clear of navigable airspace and below 400 feet agl. The association said that UAV operators and their drones should be certified to meet the operating requirements that manned aircraft currently meet, and that includes the ability to sense and avoid other aircraft. See AOPA Online.
ECLIPSE WINS COLLIER TROPHY
Eclipse Aviation Corp. has won the 2005 Robert J. Collier Trophy "for the greatest achievement in aeronautics or astronautics in America." The 95-year-old trophy, aviation's most prestigious award, will be presented to the company "for leadership, innovation, and the advancement of general aviation" in the production of very light jets. Past winners of the award include Orville Wright, Howard Hughes, Chuck Yeager, Scott Crossfield, the crew of Apollo 11, and the SpaceShipOne team. The award is administered by the National Aeronautic Association.
FOSSETT CREATES NEW RECORD WITH GLOBAL JAUNT
Steve Fossett will receive a record from the National Aeronautic Association (NAA) April 28 in Washington, D.C., for his nonstop flight around the world and on to England aboard the Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer, but it's not the record he really wants. An NAA official said Fossett had hoped to win a record for the farthest flight by any vehicle, but such a category does not exist, so he will get a record called "Distance Without Landing" for airplanes. The world-circling records for balloons are in a separate category; therefore, those records will still stand. The NAA official said the consideration of a new overall category is something that needs to be addressed. Fossett's record will be confirmed after a review of recording devices that flew aboard the GlobalFlyer. Fossett currently holds 82 aeronautical records.