The Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) issued guidelines yesterday for operating unmanned systems in U.S. airspace, seeking to curtail potential mishaps and abuses.
“With a commitment to safety, professionalism and respect, we can ensure unmanned aircraft are integrated responsibly into civil airspace,” Michael Toscano, the president and chief executive officer of AUVSI, said in a statement.
The guidelines cover operating unmanned aerial vehicles safely and professionally while respecting people’s rights to privacy, and come as the Federal Aviation Administration works toward fully integrating UAVs into the domestic airspace under a law signed by President Barack Obama earlier this year.
AUVSI urged its members to assess possible risks and ensure those flying UAVs are properly trained, and to be aware of the possibility of system failures, such as the loss of power to the link to communicate with the aircraft. The guidance also calls for respecting national, state and local laws and to respect concerns the public may have about UAVs.
“As an industry, it is incumbent upon us to hold ourselves and each other to a high professional and ethical standard,” AUVSI said. “As with any revolutionary technology, there will be mishaps and abuses; however, in order to operate safely and rain public acceptance and trust, we should all act in accordance with these guiding themes and do so in an open and transparent manner.”
Obama signed the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 in February that outlines a series of milestones for the FAA to meet in integrating UAVs including for commercial use, into the national airspace by September 2015. The law also instructed the FAA to ease and expedite the permit process for law enforcement to fly UAVs.
The plan, however, does have its critics. In addition to cameras, UAVs can carry highly sophisticated infrared and imaging technology and wireless network detectors some say could infringe on privacy. Others have expressed public safety concerns and skepticism over whether the technology is sufficiently advanced to avoid mid-air collisions.
AUVSI hopes the guidelines will help dampen some of that criticism.
“By proactively adhering to these guidelines, we want to demonstrate how the rights of individuals and the safety of all users of civil airspace are our top priority, as we work to unlock the incredible potential this technology holds,” Toscano said.
To see AUVSI’s Code of Conduct, visit the following link: www.auvsi.org/conduct