The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has taken what it calls a crucial step to enabling the expanded delivery of packages by drones with the publication of airworthiness criteria for the proposed certification of 10 drones as special class aircraft.
The FAA said in late November that the 10 sets of airworthiness criteria, published in in the Federal Register, provide for a safety level equivalent to that required by existing standards for the airworthiness of other categories of aircraft.
Dr. Michael C. Romanowski, the FAA’s director of aircraft certification service policy and innovation, added, “The development of airworthy, durable, and reliable unmanned aircraft is a crucial step forward for this innovative sector. Type certification will help increase both public and regulatory confidence in drone technology as operations become more advanced.”
The airworthiness criteria a…
