What the FAA: Drone Symposium Highlights

/

The 8th Annual FAA Drone Symposium took place earlier this month, bringing together representatives from the FAA, other government agencies, international aviation experts, industry leaders, and academia. The first-ever Advanced Air Mobility Summit also took place, with the combined events touting the theme: “Leveraging the Skies.”

To no one’s surprise, drone cargo delivery was a hot topic of discussion at several sessions throughout both events, and is growing as a use case for industrial/energy operations. The consensus, according to Inside Unmanned Systems, was: The more service can be scaled up, the more consumers/companies will come to like it.

Proving the technology by proving the technology is the approach many in the industry are taking. Starting where they can now, getting buy-in from those benefiting from it, and working outward scaling is the current path forward. 

Also moving forward is BVLOS (Beyond Visual Line of Sight) operations and regulations. At the symposium, FAA representatives reassured curious attendees that they’re working toward streamlining the regulatory process, but the key for now is getting waivers based on current authorizations. Unmanned traffic management (UTM) systems were also discussed as an important factor in the regulation and safety of airspace. 

Other sessions at the co-located events included:

  • Cross-Pollination: The International Approach to BVLOS Operations

  • Drone Security and the NAS: Where We Are, Where We’re Going

  • Commercial Applications and Challenges – Navigating Real-World Issues

  • Developing the Drone Workforce of Tomorrow

  • Operations in an Information-centric National Airspace System

  • Vertiports: Challenges of Today, Tomorrow, and Beyond

  • And many more

Do you like symposiums, forums, summits and other events where you can learn from and network with other industry leaders? Join us for Industrial Immersive Week, August 28-30, 2023, in Houston, Texas to discuss the latest on Industrial Reality Capture, Digital Twins and Asset Management.