Air transport industry groups accept the inevitability of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) flying in civil airspace. At the largest event of the unmanned systems industry earlier this month, speakers representing airline pilots and FAA air traffic controllers delivered a go-safely message to UAS proponents eager to gain access to the national airspace system to build the industry.
“We’re certainly not against UAS. In fact, we love technology,” Alaska Airlines Capt. Sean Cassidy, Air Line Pilots Association first vice president, told the Unmanned Systems North America conference in Washington. “Our concern is making sure that with regard to timelines or ‘no-later-than’ dates, we don’t short-shrift safety concerns–the need for technical development to make sure that everything is vetted through the appropriate regulatory agencies. In other words, we want to make sure that before this cake gets pulled out of the oven, it’s fully baked for everyone’s benefit.”
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