FAA Names Two To Lead On Drone Policy

The US Federal Aviation Administration has named two officials to lead its effort to incorporate commercial unmanned aerial systems, or drones, into the US airspace.

Hoot Gibson, an aviation expert who has been involved in development of a next-generation air transportation system for the United States, was named as the agency's UAS integration senior advisor -- a new position responsible for external outreach, education and interagency initiatives.

A former US Air Force career officer and executive director of the FAA-sponsored NextGen Institute, Gibson will report directly to FAA Deputy Administrator Michael Whitaker.

The agency also named FAA official Earl Lawrence as director of its UAS Integration Office, an existing position responsible for new commercial drone regulations that are expected early next year.

Lawrence, who joined the FAA in 2010, previously led the agency's Kansas City-based small plane directorate, which is charged with regulating small aircraft, airships and balloons.

Under pressure from Congress and industry lobbyists, the FAA has been working to accommodate commercial drones as a new and potentially lucrative frontier for US aviation.

The agency is expected to miss a congressionally mandated September 30 deadline for new commercial drone regulations but has pledged to publish them by next June -- months earlier than anticipated. The rules would allow for widespread commercial drone use for the first time.

Over the past several months, the agency has also accelerated its process for allowing commercial drones on a case-by-case basis.

The FAA, which had exempted only a handful of companies from the current near-ban early in the year, has since given the green light to over 1,500 private sector applicants, according to an FAA official.