NW-44
“ It ’ s an approach that the FAA is beginning to appreciate , as well ,” he said . “ Originally , the agency wrote standards into the regulations , but lately they have been moving toward accepting the standards established by industry organizations , such as SAE and ASTM .
“ Industry standards are easier to implement because they are community standards ; they are easier to update as technology changes . Regulators just can ’ t keep up .”
Power by the Hour
Reliable engines that meet the highest standards in aviation make possible a new approach within the UAS space , already widely used in manned aviation — power by the hour .
Ratcliffe explained : “ Airlines don ’ t own any engines at all . Instead , they lease them from a third party and pay for them on a power-by-the-hour basis . Therefore , that third party is incentivized to make sure that those engines last as long as possible and require as little maintenance as possible . Our goal is to see commercial UAS operations move in that same direction — put the risk , and the reward , in the same place .”
DECEMBER 2021 | JANUARY 2022 ISSUE NO . 24 29