FAA Type Certifies ScanEagle, Puma for Commercial Flight



By Danielle Lucey



AeroVironment and Insitu are the first two unmanned aviation companies to get their systems type certified for commercial use by the Federal Aviation Administration.



AeroVironment announced that on 19 July it received a “Restricted Category” rating from the FAA for its Puma AE platform. The FAA ruling also covers Insitu’s ScanEagle. The certifications were issued under the agency’s Part 21.25 aviation regulations. 



Until now, unmanned aircraft have only been allowed to fly in the National Airspace System under a Certificate of Authorization and never in a commercial scenario. The permits will allow the two aircraft to perform operations in the Arctic, a scenario the FAA planned for in its “Expanding Use of Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems in the Arctic Implementation Plan,” released in November. 



“This certificate represents an aviation milestone that could not have happened without the FAA’s vision and leadership,” says Tim Conver, AeroVironment chairman and CEO. “Aerial observation missions can now be safely accomplished in hazardous Arctic locations, which will reduce the risk of manned aviation in an efficient, cost-effective and environmentally friendly manner. We believe initial operations in the Arctic can lead to long-term broad adoption for similar applications elsewhere in the United States and throughout the world.”



“To the FAA’s credit, they have been really willing to work with industry to come up with solutions for adopting and adapting regulations intended for manned aircraft and applying them to unmanned,” Insitu’s Paul McDuffee said in an interview with Aviation Week. “It has been very cooperative.” 



The systems have yet to go through airworthiness certifications.



“Once it is complete and in one place, the FAA will take a look at the system to certify it is airworthy,” McDuffee continued, adding it will occur before 1 Oct. 



The two systems are very different. The hand-launched, electric Puma AE weighs in at 13 pounds, while the 44-pound, gas-powered ScanEagle can be launched on a pneumatic catapult and can be recovered on the company’s SkyHook. Both systems have a history of environmental use, with Puma’s recent NOAA missions and ScanEagle’s outgrowth from weather and fishery data UAS.