30 June 2014



In a letter to the Washington Post regarding the June 20 article “When
drones fall from the sky”, AUVSI President & CEO Michael Toscano
writes: The article influences the data to draw incorrect conclusions
about the domestic use of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). Many unmanned
aircraft used by the military operate under different operational
environments and in different situations than will apply domestically.
This technology is used for tasks that are extremely dangerous or
difficult for manned aircraft, and the military will push UAS farther
and further to keep people out of danger.



It is important to note that unmanned aircraft have flown safely for
millions of hours. In addition, as your graphic points out, as UAS have
been used more and technology has improved, their crash rate has fallen
significantly. Flying is an inherently risky activity, whether it is
manned or unmanned aircraft, but the safety record for UAS continues to
improve. Also, to get a true perspective, the article should have
compared UAS to other manned aviation systems that have gone through the
same timeframe of development, testing and fielding. This process is
not unique to UAS.



Domestically, the FAA is currently working to ensure UAS are safely and
responsibly integrated into our national airspace starting with small
aircraft over unpopulated areas. Through the work being done at its six
test sites, it is developing standards for who can operate UAS, where
they can fly and for what purpose they can be used. The safety and
reliability of our systems is of the utmost importance to the unmanned
systems industry and we are working with the FAA in the integration
process.



Editor's note: The Washington Post did not print Toscano's letter.