Inside Unmanned Systems provides actionable business intelligence to decision-makers and influencers operating within the global UAS community. Features include analysis of key technologies, policy/regulatory developments and new product design.
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10 unmanned systems inside August/September ugust/Septe August/September August/September be August/September 2016 0 2016 6 2016 AIR REGULATION 333 and prove the safety case for permission to perform such f lights. Limitations remain as well on night f lights and operations over popu- lated areas. Even with the restraints, there are still opportunities to f ly at night or beyond vi- sual line of sight through the waiver process, though it's unclear exactly how the process will work and how many of these waivers will be granted, said David Proulx, vice president Photos courtesy of Measure HQ of product and marketing for Aeryon Labs. Regardless, the waivers represent the oppor- tunity for more potential applications and even more growth. "My biggest excitement is that all of the limi- tations, except for the weight, are waiverable," said Matt Scassero, director of the University of Maryland Unmanned Aircraft Systems Test Site and Associate Director for the Maryland Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership. "This allows us to push the limits on these rules so we can learn more to create the next set of rules. We can go faster and higher with the right safety case data and analysis. It allows us to do more." Good for Business With the new rule comes a changed mental- ity, said Mesa County Sheriff 's Office Quar- termaster and unmanned aircraft program manager Ben Miller, who often talks with folks already in the UAS industry and those who want to be. Many people were waiting for the rules to come out before investing in this industry, which until now was rife with uncer- tainty. Because Part 107 takes some of the risk out of moving forward, Miller expects to see even more UAS businesses to start popping up. "From my perspective what (107) does, at a high level, is it ensures that there's a commercial UAS industry in the United States," said Robert Blair, vice president of agriculture at Measure. Among the benefits, he said, is that it is no longer necessary to have a visual observer along during flights. "That reduces costs—that's huge." Existing UAS manufacturers and service providers are expected to see demand climb, with microdrones sales director Chuck Dorgan already hearing from once hesitant customers who are ready to incorporate UAS into their businesses. They're interested in learning exact- ly what the new rules mean for them and how they can start using the technology. Dorgan's firm anticipated and acted on the potential op- portunity; the German company merged with Avyon in May, expanding its North American Top: A Measure pilot flies an aerial imagery drone over Lake Erie in Ohio. Bottom: Measure Pilot in Command (PIC) and Visual Observer (VO) prepare for take-off in San Diego, CA.