US, European regulators to study drone risk to commercial aircraft
US and European air-safety regulators announced Tuesday their latest initiatives to ramp up assessment of hazards posed by the proliferation of unmanned aircraft, highlighting different approaches on the two sides of the Atlantic. The US FAA, which has been moving unusually quickly on various fronts to respond to pent-up demand for commercial uses of small drones, announced the formation of a high-level advisory group with broad industry representation to analyse and promote ways to gradually integrate unmanned aircraft into the national airspace. Separately, the European Aviation Safety Agency established a task force to examine the risks and probable damage stemming from potential drone collisions with airliners, other types of traditional fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters. The study could lead to the first official tests designed to gauge the extent of actual damage from such accidents to the windshield, engines and structures of manned vehicles. The steps come amid rising safety concerns about the topic across both continents but limited progress in coordinating detailed policy and technical efforts between the two agencies.The FAA said last month that “reports of unmanned aircraft have increased dramatically since 2014,” with the agency recording more than 1,400 reports last year of drones coming close to planes. Pilots flying into busy hubs such as New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport and La Guardia Airport have reported drone sightings.<br/>
https://portal.staralliance.com/cms/news/hot-topics/2016-05-05/general/us-european-regulators-to-study-drone-risk-to-commercial-aircraft
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US, European regulators to study drone risk to commercial aircraft
US and European air-safety regulators announced Tuesday their latest initiatives to ramp up assessment of hazards posed by the proliferation of unmanned aircraft, highlighting different approaches on the two sides of the Atlantic. The US FAA, which has been moving unusually quickly on various fronts to respond to pent-up demand for commercial uses of small drones, announced the formation of a high-level advisory group with broad industry representation to analyse and promote ways to gradually integrate unmanned aircraft into the national airspace. Separately, the European Aviation Safety Agency established a task force to examine the risks and probable damage stemming from potential drone collisions with airliners, other types of traditional fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters. The study could lead to the first official tests designed to gauge the extent of actual damage from such accidents to the windshield, engines and structures of manned vehicles. The steps come amid rising safety concerns about the topic across both continents but limited progress in coordinating detailed policy and technical efforts between the two agencies.The FAA said last month that “reports of unmanned aircraft have increased dramatically since 2014,” with the agency recording more than 1,400 reports last year of drones coming close to planes. Pilots flying into busy hubs such as New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport and La Guardia Airport have reported drone sightings.<br/>
