UAVs in Civil Airspace: Safety Requirements

This addresses topics concerning the development of future Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) so they can operate safely within the community of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). Studies by the Defense Science Board, the Office of Science and Technology, Government Accountability Office, and the Congressional Research Service Library of Congress have all emphasized that soon there will be a significant number of UAVs operating side-by-side with manned civil aircraft in the FAA's National Airspace System (NAS). It is anticipated that future UAVs will perform many of the dull, dirty, and dangerous civilian missions. In 2006, about 600 UAVs were manufactured in the US alone. Therefore, there is an urgent need for developers of UAVs to understand safety certification for operations in the NAS, and that safety certification starts with safety requirements, safety design, safe development processes, safety verification, and safe operating procedures in the planned operational environment.