UAS

North Texas UAS Website 

Please visit the North Texas UAS Website for upcoming Drone Workshop information, operational requirements and guidelines, resources, and much more.

Know Before You Fly Your Drone Workshops 
As all communities work together to stop the spread of COVID-19, the workshop previously scheduled for March 28 has postponed until further notice.

Join NCTCOG and UAS professionals for a series of workshops on Drone Awareness.  NCTCOG will hold 12 "Know Before You Fly Your Drone" workshops over the next two years in locations throughout North Texas.  Learn about where to fly, best practices, rules and regulations, and much more.

The first workshop on January 18, 2020, at NCTCOG offices, was attended by a diverse group of more than 50 participants.  Special thanks to all our volunteer speakers and sponsors. 

Unmanned Aircraft Systems
UAS is the unmanned aircraft and all of the associated support
 equipment, control station, data links, telemetry, communications and navigation equipment necessary to  operate the unmanned aircraft.   Source:  FAA

UAS Task Force
The North Central Texas Council of Governments has convened the North Texas Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Safety and Integration Task Force to help mitigate reckless UAS operation and promote the safe integration of UAS technology into the DFW regional airspace.  The Task Force is comprised of public-sector representatives at the federal, state, and local levels as well as private-sector representatives from the Aviation and UAS Industries, Academia, Military, and others. 

UAS Task Force Meetings

NOTE:  The March 31 meeting has been postponed until further notice.  Please check back for updates as they become available.

 Background
Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) have been used primarily by the military for many years.  As this emerging technology develops, UAS activity is on the rise with benefits expected through a variety of civilian and commercial applications. In 2012, federal legislation required the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to safely integrate UAS into the National Air Space by September 2015. In December 2013, the FAA announced the selection of the six public entities that will develop unmanned aircraft systems research and test sites around the country.   
 
"These congressionally-mandated test sites will conduct critical research into the certification and operational requirements necessary to safely integrate UAS into the national airspace over the next several years. Texas A&M University, Corpus Christi was selected as one of  the six sites and plans to develop system safey requirements for UAS vehicles and operations with a goal of protocols and procedures for airworthiness testing."   Source: FAA Press Release 
 
In February of 2012, NCTCOG staff published the Unmanned Aircraft Systems Report, a product of the  Regional General Aviation  and Heliport System Plan.   

Staff Contacts:  Ernest Huffman, Natalie Bettger