$105 Billion Boost For Drones And Flying Cars
Communities Infrastructure To Be Used To Grow Local Economies
The FAA reauthorization bill was passed by the House and Senate. This helps drones and flying cars get half of the way into low-altitude airspace. What’s the remaining half that will help them scale?
This bill secures funding for the agency until 2028. This bipartisan effort received overwhelming support, with the bill now awaiting the President’s signature. The House passed the bill by 387-26 votes.
This funding for the FAA to advance the industry is a positive for anyone interested in infrastructure, building ways to move the industry forward and real estate and landowners who can now start to utilise their air rights.
The reauthorization bill mandates the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to advance innovative aviation technologies, including finalizing special rules for powered-lift aircraft operations within seven months.
When it comes to drones it requires further rulemaking for beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) operations for unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) within four months.
The FAA has been directed to issue a final BVLOS rule no later than 16 months after the issuance of the proposed rule.
The FAA administrator's authority to issue expedited approvals ‘‘to enable low-risk beyond visual line of sight operations, including, at a minimum, package delivery operations, extended visual line of sight operations, or shielded operations” has been put in place.
Interestingly the bill extends the BEYOND program which centers around engaging communities and informing policies to facilitate the safe deployment and operation of drones.
What is so important here is the direct recognition that our communities hold the key to drone and low-altitude airspace use. Our communities need to permit the drones to be in their private airspace, using their air rights to do this. Which means real estate owners, who own the airspace above their properties are in the driving seat.
The bill has been criticized for omitting counter-drone technology provisions, crucial for national and public safety. Congress did not include new and enhanced counter-drone authorities for law enforcement and critical infrastructure in the final FAA reauthorization.
There are many reasons this has not been addressed in the bill, from privacy concerns to government overreach and law enforcement guardrails.
What’s clear is communities need tools to help them understand what drones are in their area, but the government don’t need or want to mandate that side of the market. It is more important that counter-drone solutions for bad actors are addressed through legislation not how local communities interact with drones and flying cars.
Building The Low-Altitude World
Port San Antonio, situated on the former Kelly Air Force Base site, is set to construct a vertiport (Modern Heliport) as part of a $100 million airfield renovation project. Their vision aims to position the Port as an innovation hub, attracting companies in advanced aviation, transportation, technology, and communications industries.
Discussions are happening with electric Verticle Take Off and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft manufacturers to establish operational bases at the Port. The vertiport construction will feature takeoff and landing sites, hangars, and charging facilities, with completion expected within five years.
Korean Advances
A Hyundai consortium was chosen by the Korean Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport to lead the Mobile Modular Vertiport Design and Construction Technology and Monitoring System Development. This initiative is part of the broader UAM Safety Operation System Core Technology Development Project. Vertiports will serve as central hubs for low-altitude aircraft operations.
The modular Vertiport infrastructure and a monitoring system for takeoff and landing operations will be funding by a government grant.
Current Vertiport designs require large spaces similar to airports, which is challangeing for dense urban settings where flying taxis will be most useful. Hyundai Elevator plans to innovate with a vertical enclosed Vertiport design, integrating its vertical and horizontal movement technologies.
Hyundai Elevator showcased its H-PORT concept at the New Urban Development Project Neom Roadshow, co-hosted by the Korean Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport and the Saudi Arabian government. The H-PORT is a multifunctional hangar equipped with an automatic parking system and facilities for drone parking, charging, and passenger boarding.
Only Half Baked
The FAA promoting drones and flying cars is a very welcome advancement. It must be remembered what is not within their remit. The FAA does not own or control individuals’ private property or low-altitude airspace. Real estate is a decentralized system for the most part in free societies, it is the nature of those societies to promote private property ownership and the associated rights.
Any attempt to take these rights away are met with serious resistance as it would be an affront to freedom and the right to own private property.
The drones need permission to transit in private airspace, to land and take-off on private land. This means landowners, individual homeowners and large real estate companies play a significant role in this industry and how it grows.