“Drones are going to change our daily experience.” That was the opening statement of Mark Blanks, director of the Virginia Tech Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership (MAAP), during a media briefing in Washington, D.C. on Sept. 13. There are a number of ways that UAS could change our daily experience, according to Blanks, with UAS package delivery, insurance claims, traffic management and air transportation being just the tip of the iceberg. But before we can get to the point where UAS have a daily impact our lives, Blanks — who serves on the Board of Directors for AUVSI, and on the Advocacy Committee of AUVSI —  says there are a number of hurdles that the industry has to surpass. Chief among these are security concerns, safety assurance and technology maturity.

During AUVSI’s Hill Day luncheon on Sept. 12, Mark Bathrick of the U.S. Dept. of Interior (DOI) and Marke “Hoot” Gibson of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) spoke about how their respective departments are using UAS for “mission-critical operations,” and also spoke about some of the latest policy developments to integrate the technology into the country’s airspace. The discussion was led by AUVSI President & CEO, Brian Wynne. For Bathrick, attending his first Hill Day, the reasoning for the DOI’s use of unmanned technology was quite simple from the start.

On August 31, experts in UAS at the University of Arkansas provided a four-hour seminar to public agencies in the state that are considering starting UAS programs. Members of law enforcement, first responders, inspectors, the highway department and various state engineers attended the seminar. During the seminar, some of the topics discussed included complying with FAA laws, selection of UAS, and sensors for different types of operations. Topics presented during the seminar included management of risk and safety management systems, as well as how to develop effective policy and guidance. Jerry Chism, director of the Arkansas Department of Aeronautics, says that UAS are very beneficial to the state of Arkansas.

With hurricane season in full effect, unmanned aircraft have been pushed to the forefront as an innovative technology that can be used during relief efforts. Just a few weeks ago, Hurricane Harvey throttled Texas and Louisiana, leaving billions of dollars’ worth of damage in its wake. With mass flooding and other factors leaving areas difficult, or in some cases impossible, to navigate, UAS have become invaluable during the recovery efforts in Texas, especially in the Houston area which was hit the hardest. This has been possible thanks to swift action from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which has been actively cooperating with UAS operators to get these systems into the sky quickly and effectively where they are most needed.