Education is one important element in ALPA’s four-part solution to safely integrating unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) into the national airspace. As a result, this week, ALPA joined the “Know Before You Fly” campaign, a public initiative designed to inform those interested in flying an unmanned aircraft about the safe and responsible operation of UAS.
Founded by the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI), the Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA), and the Small UAV Coalition in partnership with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), “Know Before You Fly” provides consumers and prospective business operators of unmanned aircraft systems tools to help them know how to fly safely and responsibly before taking to the skies.
The uniqueness of UAS operations has revealed many safety and technological challenges that need to be addressed in order to maintain the current level of safety for the national airspace system, its users, and the traveling public. Until comprehensive solutions have been identified and implemented, ALPA’s overarching position is that unmanned or remotely piloted aircraft should not be allowed unrestricted access to the national airspace system unless they meet all of the high standards currently required for every other airspace user.