By: Ben Gielow

On 26 June, the U.S. Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General (IG) released an audit report
entitled, “FAA Faces Significant Barriers to Safely Integrate Unmanned
Aircraft Systems into the National Airspace System.”  The report
concludes that “as the number of UAS operating in domestic airspace
increases, safety risks will persist until FAA establishes performance,
air traffic control, and certification standards to regulate UAS use. 
Until the FAA is successful in establishing these standards and adhering
to a comprehensive integration plan with other public and private
stakeholders, it will remain unclear when, and if, FAA can meet its
goals to safely integrate UAS.” 

The IG made 11 recommendations, which the FAA agreed with.  They include:

1. Publish
   a report annually detailing ongoing research activities and progress
   FAA and other entities are making in their respective areas of
   responsibility to resolve technical challenges to safe integration of
   UAS.
2. Establish
   milestones for the work needed to determine the appropriate
   classification system for unmanned aircraft as a basis for developing
   the UAS regulatory framework.
3. Establish
   a timeline for developing standardized training and procedures for air
   traffic controllers responsible for UAS operations.
4. Assess
   and determine the requirements for automated tools to assist air
   traffic controllers in managing UAS operations in the NAS.
5. Create a standardized framework for data sharing and analysis between FAA and UAS operators by:
   
   1. validating a sample of the data it currently receives from UAS operators;
   2. finalizing an agreement with DoD for pertinent UAS operational data; and
   3. completing development of a sharing and analysis database.
6. Develop
   and implement a consistent process to review and approve COAs across
   FAA regions, adopt measures that increase process efficiency and
   oversight, and provide necessary guidance and training to inspectors.
7. Complete
   airspace simulation and safety studies of the impact of UAS operations
   on air traffic control across all segments of the NAS.
8. Develop
   a mechanism to verify that the UAS Integration Office, all FAA lines of
   business, and field safety inspectors are effectively coordinating
   their UAS efforts.
9. Determine
   the specific types of data and information needed from each of the six
   planned test ranges to facilitate safe integration of UAS into the NAS.
10. Establish
    a more detailed implementation plan with milestones and prioritized
    actions needed to advance UAS integration in the near, mid, and long
    term.
11. Establish metrics to define progress in meeting implementation milestones as a basis for reporting to Congress.