Unmanned Aircraft Systems Administration (UAS) at Airports: a Primer ACRP OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE* TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH BOARD 2015 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE*
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AIRPORT COOPERATIVE RESEARCH ACRP PROGRAM REPORT 144 Sponsored by the Federal Aviation Unmanned Aircraft Systems Administration (UAS) at Airports: A Primer ACRP OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE* TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH BOARD 2015 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE* CHAIR OFFICERS Kitty Freidheim CHAIR: Daniel Sperling, Professor of Civil Engineering and Environmental Science and Policy; Freidheim Consulting Director, Institute of Transportation Studies, University of California, Davis VICE CHAIR: James M. Crites, Executive Vice President of Operations, Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, TX VICE CHAIR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Neil J. Pedersen, Transportation Research Board Kelly Johnson MEMBERS Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport Authority Victoria A. Arroyo, Executive Director, Georgetown Climate Center; Assistant Dean, Centers and MEMBERS Institutes; and Professor and Director, Environmental Law Program, Georgetown University Law Center, Washington, DC Deborah Ale Flint Scott E. Bennett, Director, Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department, Little Rock Oakland International Airport Deborah H. Butler, Executive Vice President, Planning, and CIO, Norfolk Southern Corporation, Norfolk, VA Thella F. Bowens Jennifer Cohan, Secretary, Delaware DOT, Dover San Diego County Regional Airport Authority Malcolm Dougherty, Director, California Department of Transportation, Sacramento Benito DeLeon A. Stewart Fotheringham, Professor, School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning, University of Federal Aviation Administration Arizona, Tempe Richard de Neufville John S. Halikowski, Director, Arizona DOT, Phoenix Massachusetts Institute of Technology Michael W. Hancock, Secretary, Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, Frankfort Kevin C. Dolliole Susan Hanson, Distinguished University Professor Emerita, School of Geography, Clark University, Unison Consulting Worcester, MA Steve Grossman Steve Heminger, Executive Director, Metropolitan Transportation Commission, Oakland, CA Jacksonville Aviation Authority Chris T. Hendrickson, Professor, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA F. Paul Martinez Jeffrey D. Holt, Managing Director, Bank of Montreal Capital Markets, and Chairman, Utah Transportation Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport Commission, Huntsville Bob Montgomery Roger Huff, Manager, Ford Global Customs, Material Export Operations, and Logistics Standardization, Southwest Airlines Ford Motor Company, Farmington Hills, MI Eric Potts Geraldine Knatz, Professor, Sol Price School of Public Policy, Viterbi School of Engineering, University of Freese and Nichols, Inc. Southern California, Los Angeles Richard Tucker Ysela Llort, Director, Miami–Dade Transit, Miami, FL Huntsville International Airport Abbas Mohaddes, President and CEO, Iteris, Inc., Santa Ana, CA Paul J. Wiedefeld Donald A. Osterberg, Senior Vice President, Safety and Security, Schneider National, Inc., Green Bay, WI Baltimore/Washington International Airport James Redeker, Commissioner, Connecticut DOT, Newington Mark Rosenberg, President and CEO, The Task Force for Global Health, Inc., Decatur, GA EX OFFICIO MEMBERS Sandra Rosenbloom, Professor, University of Texas, Austin Sabrina Johnson Henry G. (Gerry) Schwartz, Jr., Chairman (retired), Jacobs/Sverdrup Civil, Inc., St. Louis, MO U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Kumares C. Sinha, Olson Distinguished Professor of Civil Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN Christopher Oswald Kirk T. Steudle, Director, Michigan DOT, Lansing Airports Council International—North America Gary C. Thomas, President and Executive Director, Dallas Area Rapid Transit, Dallas, TX Laura McKee Paul Trombino III, Director, Iowa DOT, Ames Airlines for America Melissa Sabatine EX OFFICIO MEMBERS American Association of Airport Executives Thomas P. Bostick (Lieutenant General, U.S. Army), Chief of Engineers and Commanding General, T.J. Schulz U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Washington, DC Airport Consultants Council James C. Card (Vice Admiral, U.S. Coast Guard, retired), Maritime Consultant, The Woodlands, TX, Neil J. Pedersen and Chair, TRB Marine Board Transportation Research Board Alison Jane Conway, Assistant Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, City College of New York, NY, Gregory Principato and Chair, TRB Young Members Council National Association of State Aviation Officials T. F. Scott Darling III, Acting Administrator and Chief Counsel, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, U.S. DOT SECRETARY Sarah Feinberg, Acting Administrator, Federal Railroad Administration, U.S. DOT Christopher W. Jenks David J. Friedman, Acting Administrator, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, U.S. DOT Transportation Research Board LeRoy Gishi, Chief, Division of Transportation, Bureau of Indian Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior, Washington, DC John T. Gray II, Senior Vice President, Policy and Economics, Association of American Railroads, Washington, DC Michael P. Huerta, Administrator, Federal Aviation Administration, U.S. DOT Paul N. Jaenichen, Sr., Administrator, Maritime Administration, U.S. DOT Therese W. McMillan, Acting Administrator, Federal Transit Administration, U.S. DOT Michael P. Melaniphy, President and CEO, American Public Transportation Association, Washington, DC Gregory G. Nadeau, Acting Administrator, Federal Highway Administration, U.S. DOT Peter M. Rogoff, Under Secretary for Transportation Policy, Office of the Secretary, U.S. DOT Mark R. Rosekind, Administrator, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, U.S. DOT Craig A. Rutland, U.S. Air Force Pavement Engineer, Air Force Civil Engineer Center, Tyndall Air Force Base, FL Vanessa Sutherland, Acting Deputy Administrator, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, U.S. DOT Barry R. Wallerstein, Executive Officer, South Coast Air Quality Management District, Diamond Bar, CA Gregory D. Winfree, Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology, Office of the Secretary, U.S. DOT Frederick G. (Bud) Wright, Executive Director, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, Washington, DC Paul F. Zukunft (Admiral, U.S. Coast Guard), Commandant, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Department of Homeland Security * Membership as of July 2015. * Membership as of August 2015. AIRPORT COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAM ACRP REPORT 144 Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) at Airports: A Primer Kenneth Neubauer David Fleet FUTRON AVIATION CORPORATION Norfolk, VA Filippo Grosoli MERLIN GLOBAL SERVICES Solana Beach, CA Harry Verstynen WHIRLWIND ENGINEERING Poquoson, VA Subscriber Categories Aviation • Safety and Human Factors • Vehicles and Equipment Research sponsored by the Federal Aviation Administration TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH BOARD WASHINGTON, D.C. 2015 www.TRB.org AIRPORT COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAM ACRP REPORT 144 Airports are vital national resources. They serve a key role in trans- Project 03-30 portation of people and goods and in regional, national, and interna- ISSN 1935-9802 tional commerce. They are where the nation’s aviation system connects ISBN 978-0-309-37481-1 with other modes of transportation and where federal responsibility for Library of Congress Control Number 2015950932 managing and regulating air traffic operations intersects with the role of © 2015 National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved. state and local governments that own and operate most airports. Research is necessary to solve common operating problems, to adapt appropriate new technologies from other industries, and to introduce innovations into the airport industry. The Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) COPYRIGHT INFORMATION serves as one of the principal means by which the airport industry can Authors herein are responsible for the authenticity of their materials and for obtaining develop innovative near-term solutions to meet demands placed on it. written permissions from publishers or persons who own the copyright to any previously The need for ACRP was identified in TRB Special Report 272: Airport published or copyrighted material used herein. Research Needs: Cooperative Solutions in 2003, based on a study spon- Cooperative Research Programs (CRP) grants permission to reproduce material in this sored by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). ACRP carries out publication for classroom and not-for-profit purposes. Permission is given with the applied research on problems that are shared by airport operating agen- understanding that none of the material will be used to imply TRB, AASHTO, FAA, FHWA, cies and not being adequately addressed by existing federal research FMCSA, FRA, FTA, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology, PHMSA, programs. ACRP is modeled after the successful National Cooperative or TDC endorsement of a particular product, method, or practice. It is expected that those reproducing the material in this document for educational and not-for-profit uses will give Highway Research Program (NCHRP) and Transit Cooperative Research appropriate acknowledgment of the source of any reprinted or reproduced material. For Program (TCRP). ACRP undertakes research and other technical activi- other uses of the material, request permission from CRP. ties in various airport subject areas, including design, construction, legal, maintenance, operations, safety, policy, planning, human resources, and administration. ACRP provides a forum where airport operators can NOTICE cooperatively address common operational problems. ACRP was authorized in December 2003 as part of the Vision 100— The report was reviewed by the technical panel and