Will the GAO drone report influence the FAA?

Written By Rein John Falcon

On January 26, 2023, the GAO released the report: “FAA Should Improve Its Approach to Integrating Drones into the National Airspace System” (GAO-23-105189)

After years of pushing, the GAO report recommendations to the FAA weren’t a surprise:

  • Comprehensive drone integration strategy

  • Clearly communicate the requirements and process for obtaining operational approvals

  • Develop and document formal lessons-learned process

  • Implement the lessons-learned

  • Here are some of the dates scattered in the document:

  • UAS strategy/roadmap – 1Q23

  • UTM Implementation plan – Spring 2023

  • Guidance on waiver criteria and process – August 2023

  • FAA competency gap assessment for Mission Critical Occupations – FY2023 & 2024

  • BVLOS NPRM – early 2024

Figure 3 shows that the FAA collects lots of data but doesn’t do much with it.

I’m glad that we (Anzen Unmanned) have learned and applied many lessons in our customers’ approved waivers for BVLOS (with VO and DAA sensors), operations over people/moving vehicles, airspace, altitude, and soon BVLOS m:N.

Rein John Falcon
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