Unmanned aircraft systems make research and business advances

Unmanned aircraft systems integration continued to move forward this year. In July, the FAA reported that 100,000 remote pilot certificates had been issued since Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 107 for small unmanned aircraft systems, or UAS, was issued in August 2016. To streamline and expedite the authorization process for small UAS operations within controlled airspace near airports, the FAA expand...ed the Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability, or IAANC, with a national test. The LAANC system's beta test began in April, covering the south central region of the US and expanding to other regions throughout 2018 with a target of 500 airports and 300 air traffic facilities.