Charles Devaney joins unmanned aerial systems group in Virginia

By Steve Edwards

BCJ News

Reporter's note: I first met Charles Devaney last year at the Harlem Seed Show where he had an exhibit about UAV's-unmanned aerial vehicles (more commonly now called UAS, for "unmanned autonomous systems"). Devaney was visiting his mother, Bev Devaney, in Harlem and decided to share some of his passion and knowledge about the new technology that was in the newspapers. Readers will recall, at the time, the amount of negative press some UAS users were getting as they violated air space, such as flying around the Eiffel Tower and over outdoor stadiums during events, and flew their machines in inappropriate ways and places.

Nearly a year later, Devaney is starting a new job with UAS Academy, in the Washington, DC area, as an instructor and practitioner in the world of unmanned aerial systems. I visited with Devaney as he was packing to leave Harlem for his new job in Virginia.

UAS Academy,

Warrenton, Virginia

According to Devaney, UAS Academy is a business that teaches people how to use unmanned aerial vehicles, sells a certain type of UAV machine and does contract work for companies by doing surveys and interpreting the data collected. One interesting group of clients includes Disney, ABC and ESPN. Devaney said these companies are looking to UAS equipment to film events, do special effects for movies and other productions and reduce the risk to videographers and pilots who have typically relied on airplanes and helicopters to capture dramatic aerial shots.

Devaney's new title is Director of Information Sciences-he will be teaching future UAS flyers how to use their equipment and also helping with data interpretation collected by UAS customers. Devaney has a bachelor and master's degree in geography and did prior work collecting and interpreting data using UAS equipment in a variety of settings.

UAS Academy's chief scientist, Dr. Jim Blanchard, has two PhD's in science, so the company is very science-oriented. Devaney said of the company, "It's run and funded by a group of serious investors who see the potential for UAS use. Unfortunately, currently anyone with a UAS machine can call themselves an aerial imaging company. That's changing as the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration, charged with regulating national airspace) begins to regulate and enforce how these machines are used.

The current state

of the UAS industry

In describing the current state of the UAS industry, Devaney believes 2013 was the tipping point. "I was introduced to UAS in 2011," he explained, "when the devices were still pretty much a novelty in the public domain. By 2013, with the lower cost and wider availability of UAS equipment, the whole idea of remote flying really caught on. By 2014/15 things had gotten messy with rogue operators causing lots of problems." He described the time as akin to the "dot.com" era a few years ago when that sector expanded so quickly.

The FAA, under prompting from Congress and public outrage over abuse by some UAS flyers, began drafting new regulations for UAS use with requests for public input in the process. Devaney said eventually the FAA will make proposals to Congress for legislation, then the FAA will be charged to make operating rules and enforcement strategies based on new laws once Congress acts.

That rulemaking process with the FAA could take some time. Devaney said, "The FAA is charged to regulate use of national air space. For most of its existence the FAA has worked with airplanes and pilots. The UAS phenomenon is totally outside their experience. For that reason, they are moving cautiously to be sure they have everything covered."

This past year, in December, the FAA did make some policy changes regarding UAS equipment and its operators. Now all owners of UAS devices weighing between .55 pounds and 55 pounds must be registered. Registration by UAS owners is now a statutory requirement before they fly their device outside. The fee to register is $5 but the FAA made a grace period, until January 20, 2016, that waives the fee. All new and current owners must register by February 19, 2016.

Commenting on this new registration requirement, Devaney said, "There were 45,000 registrations made the first two days the registration opened. The number of people trying to register overwhelmed the registration website. About one million new UAS devices were sold during the 2015 holidays. It will take some time for the registration process to catch up." Part of the registration requires identification numbers on UAS equipment, giving regulators some way to track operators who cause problems.

Another action by the FAA is aimed at UAS owners who want to engage in commercial operations. Under law, any aircraft operating in national air space requires a certificated and registered aircraft, a licensed pilot and operational approval. The FAA has created what it calls a "333 exemption" that exempts commercial operators on a case by case basis. Having this exemption gives UAS commercial operators a distinct advantage in the market place as they can legitimately say they are meeting the law. By the end of 2015 there were about 2800 exemption petitions granted, with many still in the pipeline seeking approval.

Devaney feels all these moves are positive, but sees the process taking a good bit of time. He's looking forward to getting started on his new job and feels like he's with a company that will be in the UAS business for the long haul. He added, "Companies like UAS Academy welcome more regulation because they know stricter controls will make those companies that survive better and the public better served." But the process to regulate and control UAS operators and their activities will take a while to complete.

You can find basic information about FAA requirements for using unmanned aerial systems at https://www.faa.gov/uas/faq/. That site also has links to more specific requirements or issues.