US Skies Could See More Drones

(Wall Street Journal) - Unmanned planes could soon become a more common presence in US skies.

A broad funding bill for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) -- released this week and expected to win final approval before the middle of February -- for the first time establishes specific deadlines designed to speed up the widespread use of unmanned planes, or drones, across the US.

On Friday, the House passed the package in a 248-169 vote.

The bill calls for integrating a wide range of so-called unmanned aerial vehicles -- operated by both governmental and corporate entities -- with commercial and general aviation traffic across the nation's skies by September 2015.

Perhaps best known for their use in combat abroad, unmanned aircraft currently can fly only in restricted areas over the US. That has kept their numbers low.

Most are operated by federal agencies for law-enforcement or security purposes. But under the FAA bill, proponents envision huge fleets of drones operated nationwide by states, local governments and companies.

Unmanned aircraft can be as small as a hummingbird or have the wingspan of an airliner. Among their possible uses are environmental monitoring, fire protection and surveillance of suspected criminals. Other potential roles include industrial jobs such as checking power lines and tracking equipment.

Drone manufacturers, local governments and business groups have long complained about the FAA's go-slow approach to allowing unmanned and manned aircraft to share the same airspace. The bill, among other things, requires the FAA to move expeditiously to phase in operation of smaller drones and establish six test areas nationwide to demonstrate safety technology.

The four-year, $63 billion FAA bill, which was approved by House and Senate negotiators earlier this week, caps five years of disputes and nearly two dozen stopgap FAA funding bills. That short-term funding hampered the FAA's ability to plan and pay for certain long-term programs.

Among those delayed programs were agency plans to speed modernization of the nation's air-traffic control system. The agency wants to use GPS satellites as the backbone of a new system, replacing the ground-based radars that are now standard. The ultimate goal is to rely on satellite signals to help pilots to set their own courses, fly more-direct routes and keep track of surrounding aircraft, saving both time and fuel.

The funding package also mandates that within five years, planes taking off and landing at the 35 busiest US airports fly routes based on satellite navigation. Designed to save fuel, reduce emissions and alleviate congestion, the routes would have to be in place at practically all airports a year later, according to the FAA bill.

Read more: Wall Street Journal