Drones, Other Advanced Avionics Can Soar If FAA ‘Clarifies’ Approval Process, Witnesses Tell Congressmen

Drones and other advanced aviation technologies have the potential to transform industries and benefit society in countless ways, from delivering emergency medical supplies to aiding police investigations. However, approval processes by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) are hindering developers, according to expert witnesses speaking before a Congressional subcommittee on March 30. Witnesses further urged for an overhaul of the FAA to clear the way for innovation.

Garret Graves, Representative of Louisiana, expressed disappointment, “The FAA has an inability to make quick and sound decisions, and stand by those decisions, resulting in a lack of clarity for new entrants to the market. After over five years of trying, the FAA has succeeded in certifying a grand total of one drone.”

The approved drone was developed by Vermont-based company “Wing,” which has faced numerous obstacles in the regulatory process, Graves pointed out.

Kyle Clark, CEO of BETA Technologies and an employer of approximately 500 engineers, mentioned that his company is waiting for the FAA to certify electric propulsion. “What we need is a simple regulatory unblock and clarity. That’s it. It’s not complicated,” he said. Clark added, “The technology is here, and we’re ready to get to work.”

According to witnesses and members of Congress at the Aviation Subcommittee of the House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure, unclear regulations and bureaucratic processes make it difficult for American companies to stay competitive with other nations in developing the futuristic avionics. Witnesses noted that rival nations, including China, are adopting more rapid approval processes.

Representative Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey expressed concern that the US will cede its global aviation leadership if the current situation continues, something that aviation history has the potential to repeat.

The Three Eras of Aviation: Past and Present

Van Drew provided a brief history of American aviation. The “Golden Era” of aviation began in 1903 when Orville and Wilbur Wright built the first aircraft in Dayton, Ohio. Through the past 75 years, innovations such as the jet engine have transformed the safety and accessibility of air travel.

Van Drew called for Congress to prioritize a new era of “Advanced Aviation.” This term refers to “a wave of technologies including drones, supersonics, and many other technologies that have not yet been integrated into our National Aerospace System.” Witnesses at the hearing testified that despite the excitement of this new era, unclear regulations prevent businesses from investing in the US, putting America at risk of losing its global aviation leadership.

“The FAA is operating on an uncoordinated, 50-year-old organizational model. It should change,” Van Drew said.

In the hearing, various Congressional members marveled seeing a real airplane weighing only 10 pounds in weight in the same room as Adam Woodworth, the CEO of Wing. Wing is a company that develops drones to deliver small packages, and the first drone company in the US to receive approval for operations “beyond line-of-sight.” The company delivers goods ranging from over-the-counter medications to household essentials and meals in four countries, Australia, Ireland, Finland, and Switzerland.

“We’ve completed over 300,000 commercial deliveries to consumers and our service areas, and we’ve done so safely,” said Woodworth. He added that the FAA approval process is too confusing and convoluted, “Quite simply, we’re stuck,” he said. He called for a clearer, more predictable process to remove “these logjams.”

Drones in Law Enforcement

Roxana Kennedy, police chief in Chula Vista, California, described how a “Drone First-Responder Program” helped apprehend a suspected gunman at a local taco shop. Reports from panicked customers prompted officers to act quickly, and a drone was dispatched within one minute. It provided images to officers who were on their way to the scene. This program, among others, exemplifies how drones can be utilized for public safety.