POLICY RECOMMENDATION FOR INTEGRATING SMALL UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS WITH AVIATION FACILITIES IN NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS

Abstract

Prevalent availability and use of small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS) have placed this technology at the forefront of federal, state, and local policy discussions. With the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) August 2016 release of regulatory conditions for civilian and commercial uses of unmanned aircraft, states and local governments are seeking to enact their own regulations to protect citizens, vital infrastructure, and economic assets including airports.

This study analyzed results of aviation stakeholder and public safety professional responses to a survey, administered by the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG), to identify municipal concerns about the integration of sUAS with manned aircraft near aviation facilities. The survey responses concluded there is support for the growth of this modern technology. Additionally, the survey concluded practical municipal policy to address misuse is viewed as an important consideration. This study provided content analysis for the dimensions and limitations of existing federal, state, and local UAS policies specific to safety, operational requirements, and privacy. Byproducts of the study’s content analyses led to a local-level policy recommendation utilizing geographic information system (GIS) software.

The findings of this research are intended to assist municipalities identify an effective policy approach to regulating small unmanned aircraft activity near aviation facilities. GIS was utilized for this study as a broadly available tool and model to assist planning efforts that can articulate and visualize a suitability analysis for sUAS operations in close proximity to airports.