Hr.2881 you won't believe this
 

Hey guys check out this comes directly from hr.2881, this is how our government is thinking. They are planning on taking us out of the equation, one more example of bush and his cronies looking out for us.
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H.R.2881
FAA Reauthorization Act of 2007 (Reported in House)

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Subtitle B--Unmanned Aircraft Systems

SEC. 321. COMMERCIAL UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS INTEGRATION PLAN.

(a) Integration Plan-

(1) COMPREHENSIVE PLAN- Not later than 9 months after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary, in consultation with representatives of the aviation industry, shall develop a comprehensive plan to safely integrate commercial unmanned aircraft systems into the national airspace system.

(2) MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS- In developing the plan under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall, at a minimum--

(A) review technologies and research that will assist in facilitating the safe integration of commercial unmanned aircraft systems into the national airspace system;

(B) provide recommendations for the rulemaking to be conducted under subsection (b) to--

(i) define the acceptable standards for operations and certification of commercial unmanned aircraft systems;

(ii) ensure that any commercial unmanned aircraft system includes a detect, sense, and avoid capability; and

(iii) develop standards and requirements for the operator or programmer of a commercial unmanned aircraft system, including standards and requirements for registration and licensing;

(C) recommend how best to enhance the technologies and subsystems necessary to effect the safe and routine operations of commercial unmanned aircraft systems in the national airspace system; and

(D) recommend how a phased-in approach to the integration of commercial unmanned aircraft systems into the national airspace system can best be achieved and a timeline upon which such a phase-in shall occur.

(3) DEADLINE- The plan to be developed under paragraph (1) shall provide for the safe integration of commercial unmanned aircraft systems into the national airspace system as soon as possible, but not later than September 30, 2012.

(4) REPORT TO CONGRESS- Not later than one year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate a copy of the plan developed under paragraph (1).

(b) Rulemaking- Not later than 18 months after the date on which the integration plan is submitted to Congress under subsection (a)(4), the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration shall publish in the Federal Register a notice of proposed rulemaking to implement the recommendations of the integration plan.

(c) Authorization- There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary to carry out this section.

SEC. 322. SPECIAL RULES FOR CERTAIN UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS.

(a) In General- Notwithstanding the requirements of sections 321 and 323, and not later than 6 months after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall determine if certain unmanned aircraft systems may operate safely in the national airspace system before completion of the plan and rulemaking required by section 321 or the guidance required by section 323.

(b) Assessment of Unmanned Aircraft Systems- In making the determination under subsection (a), the Secretary shall determine, at a minimum--

(1) which types of unmanned aircraft systems, if any, as a result of their size, weight, speed, operational capability, proximity to airports and population areas, and operation within visual line-of-sight do not create a hazard to users of the national airspace system or the public or pose a threat to national security; and

(2) whether a certificate of authorization or an airworthiness certification under section 44704 of title 49, United States Code, is required for the operation of unmanned aircraft systems identified under paragraph (1).

(c) Requirements for Safe Operation- If the Secretary determines under this section that certain unmanned aircraft systems may operate safely in the national airspace system, the Secretary shall establish requirements for the safe operation of such aircraft systems in the national airspace system.

SEC. 323. PUBLIC UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS.

Not later than 9 months after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall issue guidance regarding the operation of public unmanned aircraft systems to--

(1) expedite the issuance of a certificate of authorization process;

(2) provide for a collaborative process with public agencies to allow for an incremental expansion of access to the national airspace system as technology matures and the necessary safety analysis and data become available and until standards are completed and technology issues are resolved; and

(3) facilitate the capability of public agencies to develop and use test ranges, subject to operating restrictions required by the Federal Aviation Administration, to test and operate unmanned aircraft systems.

`detect, sense, and avoid capability' means the technical capability to perform separation assurance and collision avoidance, as defined by the Federal Aviation Administration.

(3) PUBLIC UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEM- The term `public unmanned aircraft system' means an unmanned aircraft system that meets the qualifications and conditions required for operation of a public aircraft, as defined by section 40102 of title 49, United States Code.

(4) SECRETARY- The term `Secretary' means the Secretary of Transportation.

(5) TEST RANGE- The term `test range' means a defined geographic area where research and development are conducted.

(6) UNMANNED AIRCRAFT- The term `unmanned aircraft' means an aircraft that is operated without the possibility of direct human intervention from within or on the aircraft.

(7) UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEM- The term `unmanned aircraft system' means an unmanned aircraft and associated elements (such as communication links and a ground control station) that are required to operate safely and efficiently in the national airspace system.

Yea sure...yep.. name me one piece of transportation that is widely used and has no operator....... I see people lining up to fly on un manned aircraft.... maybe in 50 years.... lol

Maybe not people, but I can sure see boxes lined up. This is an all-cargo airline CEO's wet dream.

The smartest thing ALPA and the IPA could do, is pool together all of their money, figure out who is flying the first UAV, and pay them off to fly it into the side of a mountain.

I'm not too sure I'd like to have that flying over my home (yeah, I know satellites are already doing it, but they'll hopefully burn up in the atmosphere on re-entry)... maybe they could be used for ocean crossings???

Put UAV and ADS-B together = Unemployed box haulers

Like it or not UAV/UAS is coming. One major university is already working to get a bachelors program up and running in the next year to train civilians to fly them.

It's time to come up with some realistic regulations for the operation of them in the domestic airspace. Several police departments already own what the FAA considers UAVs, and of course the military, CBP, TSA, and other federal agencies have them as well. There's already two decent sized UAV bases that have been established (one in AZ, the other in ND).

I've thought (briefly) about learning to fly one, but I think that I'd miss actually being in the plane. That said, civilian Predator and Global Hawk pilots can make upwards of $115K right off the bat, and that's without going overseas and working in areas that qualify for large bonuses.

Hello HAL?

Hello Dave.

HAL, why are we flying into the mountain?

My programming states that this is the most proper decision to avoid the windshear ahead. Why do you ask?

HAL!!!! I can plainly see out my left window that the path is clear in that direction.

Sorry Dave. My sensors on that side were DMIs, so I cannot turn into an unscanned area.

Dave, it has been nice working with you.

HAL, turn left, NOW!!!!

Dave, will I dream?

CCCRRRRUUUUNNNCH!!!!!!

This legislation is not refering to pax airliners...it is refering to commercial UAV's which perform surviellance, photography, or possibly serve as airborne telecommunications nodes.

It will take ten years to implement this thing.

After 20 years of trouble-free operations (not a sure thing by any means), they MIGHT start thinking about unmanned cargo planes. Maybe.

But the real kicker here is class B airspace...they might be willing to sacrifice a few private pilots in E or G airspace to midairs, but the first UAV that knocks down an airliner in a class B is going to set their whole program back another 20 years. For that reason, they will be very reluctant and slow to try UAV's at major commercial airports. If they don't have experience with little UAV's in class B, they won't be able to try the BIG UAV's.

Also I doubt any existing airliner (pax or cargo) could be certified as a UAV. They will need a clean-slate design for that (another ten years).

I'm not too worried. However...If you're ten years old cargo might not be the brightest move for you.

wont happen in the next 100 years. Actually probably wont happen in the next 200 years.

The closest they will ever get is removing windshields from airplanes or putting pilots in the back of the plane.

No one who has any half of a brain would want to get on a commercial airliner with no crew up there to fix things when they start going wrong.