Remarks from U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx
UAS Rulemaking Announcement
As Delivered
February 15, 2015
Two weeks ago the US DOT produced a report, Beyond Traffic: Trends and Choices 2045 highlighting, among other things, the rapid technological advances taking place and are likely to take place in transportation. Technology is not just changing the automobile, it is changing aviation. We in the United States want to capture the potential of unmanned aircraft and we have been working to develop the framework for the safe integration of this technology into our airspace. In recent years we have begun a series of actions designed to keep America at the forefront of aviation. We have approved several test sites around the U.S. We have developed exemption programs to enable commercial users to access this potential and today we take another step forward with the announcement of our small UAS rule.
From entertainment… to energy… to agriculture, there are a host of industries interested in using UAS to improve their business.
But for us at USDOT, the first question always is – and must be – keeping the American people safe as we move to integrate these new types of aircraft into our sky.
Well, today, we’re announcing a proposed rulemaking that will help us do just that.
The rule addresses two basic safety issues: 1. Keeping unmanned aircraft well clear of other aircraft. And 2, mitigating any risk to people and property on the ground. As a result, we’re proposing some common sense safety measures to keep everyone safe. And there are things like, not allowing flight of these aircraft near an airport or more than 500 feet above the ground, or if you are operating one they have to be within your line of sight at all times. And you have to be able to see them with your own two eyes, not with binoculars. And the aircraft must weigh less than 55 pounds or you cannot operate it at night. That’s and, not or. This rule does not apply to recreational users. There are already rules in place for that.
Safety issues aren’t just the only issues associated with unmanned vehicles. These vehicles raise privacy issues as well. Which is why the President has released a memorandum on privacy that will guide how the federal government uses unmanned aircraft in our domestic airspace.
We’re going to be transparent about our use of this technology… we’re going to use it in a way that follows the law – and doesn’t infringe on civil liberties.
I want to thank the FAA especially for their hard work on this – and I’ll turn it over now to Administrator Michael Huerta, who will give us more details on the proposed rule.
To listen to the audio file, go to: http://www.faa.gov/news/media/UAS_remarks_FAA_Executive_2015-02-15_10_40_28.wav