“The FAA needs to take meaningful outreach to local communities and their leadership.”

Launched this week at AUVSI's XPONENTIAL conference in New Orleans, San Francisco startup Navio Systems, LLC has proposed a new "Class H" airspace for drones.

The reasons for this new initiative are laid out in their White Paper, "The Creation of Local Urban Airspace Corridors to Enable UAS Deliveries and Services."

The proposal is the outgrowth of a three-year research effort, including a survey of hundreds of drone companies, public agencies, aviation consultants and lawyers.

"Establishing Class H Airspace solves most of the regulatory and safety challenges of drone activity in urban settings," says Ernest C. Brown, the companys co-founder and CEO. "Over two million drones have taken flight over the past three years, creating severe challenges for the FAA and local governments, and GPS is inadequate for drone guidance in complex urban settings. So far there has been no solution that would enable the safe and secure flight of drones above our cities and our citizens."

"A new Airspace Classification is needed to encourage local communities and their elected leadership to pursue the roll out of this important aviation technology," he said.

Within the Navio framework:

Local governments pass local ordinances to manage and regulate drone airways.
Citizens and businesses register their Airdressâ„¢ where drones can safely land.

Wireless beacons are installed on existing structures such as streetlights and buildings to identify and guide drones safely and securely over our streets, homes, and businesses.

Local governments regulate drone traffic, allowing their citizens to have a voice in how drones fly in their cities, over their homes and businesses.

"The FAA needs to take meaningful outreach to local communities and their leadership," Brown says. "If UAS delivery and commercial services are to become a reality, it will be based upon a federal/state partnership"

ABOUT NAVIO SYSTEMS, LLC
San Francisco-based Navio Systems provides consulting services and patented technology, giving cities and counties a comprehensive solution and regulatory framework to manage flight operations and regulate drone traffic.