It’s a question asked by kids (and backseat drivers) everywhere. In the case of the remote identification of drones, the driver is the FAA, and the Congress, as always, is in the back seat.
Congress has the authority to set priorities for administrative agencies. In addition to wheedling and cajoling agency Administrators and Secretaries when they testify before Congress, they can pass laws requiring the agency to act by a fixed deadline.… Read More
In a recent post, we discussed the Safe Landings Act (H.R. 4166), pending legislation introduced in August of this year. In this post, we discuss another piece of pending legislation – the Safe and Quiet Skies Act of 2019.
The Safe and Quiet Skies Act of 2019 (H.R. 4547) was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives on September 27, 2019, by Representative Ed Case of Hawaii’s First Congressional District (located entirely on the Island of Oahu, including the City and County of Honolulu).… Read More
In Parts I & II of this article, we discussed current developments electric and hybrid-electric aircraft. We touched on battery technology and even discussed transport category aircraft that I might be flying on when I finally retire….sadly in 2043, if I’m lucky. In this third installment, we discuss the FAA Part 23 certification process and its application to electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft, Amendment 64, and the certification challenges facing much of the eVTOL aircraft currently in development.… Read More
“An Airplane Is Down…”
Lessons to Be Learned From Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines
February 4–6, 2020
The Ritz-Carlton, Tysons Corner
Join Fox Rothschild for a symposium on the major aviation issues of 2019, including the Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines accidents and the many concerns they raise.
Symposium Topics:
In Part I of this post, we discussed current developments in fixed-wing electric aircraft and the current state of aircraft battery technology, followed by current developments in transport category hybrid-electric aircraft. Today, we switch to what might be the next evolution in aviation transportation – the all-electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft, otherwise referred to as the eVTOL.
According to the Electric VTOL News website, there are currently 217 electric and hybrid-electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) concepts in various stages of development from the automotive, aviation, and the tech industries. … Read More
With the enactment of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 in October of last year, Congress, to a large extent, has taken a breather from introducing aviation legislation. Two recent bills, however, address key aviation safety issues and merit examination – the Safe Landings Act and the Safe and Quiet Skies Act of 2019. We discuss the Safe Landings Act in this post and will address the Safe and Quiet Skies Act of 2019 in a following post.… Read More
Richard Branson once said, “If you want to be a Millionaire, start with a billion dollars and launch a new airline.” This is one of those sayings that falls into the category of, it’s funny because it’s true. In fact, the saying applies equally to most new undertakings in aviation, including the design, certification, and manufacture of a new aircraft. In this three part series, we will be taking a look at one of the most ambitious initiatives in modern aviation, the electric aircraft and urban air mobility.… Read More
For those of you who may have missed the live presentation of the latest in our ongoing UAS Webinar Series, “Drone Defense: Rules, Regulations, Dos and Don’ts,” you can view the entire presentation by clicking on the links below.
The slide deck from the webinar is available here. The webinar recording is available here.
Check back here for updates on the next webinar, which will be held on November 21, 2019!… Read More
As most readers know, the lack of a standard for the remote identification of unmanned aircraft has held up progress in a number of areas critical for integration of UAS into the national airspace system. Rules for flight over people and in heavily congested areas, protection of critical infrastructure, beyond visual line of sight operations and unmanned traffic management, and effective counter-drone systems all require a remote ID solution. … Read More
Tuesday, October 1, 2019 | Noon ET
The United States is home to 1.3 million registered drones. The Department of Homeland Security cannot quantify the number that are unregistered, but more than 7 million drones are expected to have been sold in the U.S. by 2020. As the number of drones increases, so does the likelihood that a drone will be used in a terrorist attack or other criminal activity.… Read More