The U.S. Department of Transportation has chosen ten state, local and tribal governments to participate in the FAA’s Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration Pilot Program (UAS IPP). The selected governments are located throughout the U.S and will work with private sector participants to collect information on drone operations. “Data gathered from these pilot projects will form the basis of a new regulatory framework to safely integrate drones into our national airspace,” said Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao.
UAS IPP participants will identify ways to balance local and national interests, improve communications, and address security and privacy risks. The program is scheduled to last for two and a half years and does not involve any federal funding. Specific areas of study include night operations, flights beyond the pilot’s line of sight, package delivery, detect-and-avoid technologies and the reliability and security of data links between pilot and aircraft.
The FAA received 149 applications for the program. Before getting started, the ten participants will work with the FAA to finalize their concepts and define responsibilities. A list of the selected partner governments selected can be found here.
