FAA Reports UAS Flight Authorizations

FAA released a fact sheet last month detailing the number of certificates of authorization (COA) it has issued for unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) to operate in civil airspace.

The agency said it issued 102 COAs in 2006, 85 in 2007 and 164 in 2008. As of February 23 this year, it had issued 17, with 62 applications pending.

“The COA process has functioned well,” FAA said. “It makes possible research and development efforts and provides a way to introduce UASs into the National Airspace System. As FAA experience with COAs has grown, so has the emphasis on safety; certificates issued today typically have more conditions and limitations, particularly those dealing with a UAS’s ability to ‘detect, see and avoid’ other traffic.”