National Academies Panel Finds FAA Too Cautious Regarding UAVs Written 12 June 2018

The AP reports that scientists advising the federal government believe that “safety regulators should do more to speed the integration of commercial drones into the nation’s airspace.” The National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine in a report Monday accused the FAA of making “overly conservative risk assessments” that focus on the potential downsides “instead of a holistic risk picture.” The board called for the agency to consider the potential benefits of UAVs instead of focusing solely on their risk to aircraft. The study was requested by Congress last year. The experts argued that the FAA discourages many “commercial uses of unmanned aircraft without considering their potential to reduce other risks and save lives.” The science board – whose members represented universities, research groups, and the aerospace industry – included “a representative of Boeing’s drone business.” The board experts concluded that “fear of making a mistake’ drives a risk culture at the FAA that is too often overly conservative, particularly with regard to (drone) technologies, which do not pose a direct threat to human life in the same way as technologies used in manned aircraft.” 
More Info (Associated Press)