Brian Wynne, president and CEO of the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI), recently issued a statement in response to the passage of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization bill (S. 2658) by the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation.

He called the passage of the reauthorization an important milestone for accelerating civil and commercial use of drones.

“While Congress addresses reauthorization, the FAA needs to use all available means to finalize the small UAS rule immediately, and without any further delays, and move ahead with the next regulatory steps on the path for integrating all UAS into the national airspace. Once this happens, we will have an established framework for UAS that will reduce the barriers to commercial operations.”

A 2013 economic impact study by AUVSI found that the industry is projected to create more than 100,000 jobs and provide more than $82 billion in economic impact in the first decade following UAS integration.

About AUVSI

The Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) — the world's largest nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of unmanned systems and robotics — represents more than 7,500 members from more than 60 countries involved in the fields of government, industry and academia. AUVSI members work in the defense, civil and commercial markets.