Dr. Elmar Giemulla, speaking on behalf of the German association UAV DACH e.V., highlighted Germany’s take on airspace, which was opened in the beginning of 2012 to anyone not operating commercially. The country has two methods to be permitted to operate, long-term permits that last two years and short-term permits for single use. The permitting authority is not Germany’s national air traffic regulator but is regulated by the country’s 16 states interpreting the law. In the first year of these operations, Germany had 252 permissions granted for flight.
Giemulla said it’s difficult to get standards for the industry without permitting the industry to fly so they can learn from different experiences.
„It’s kind of a pendulum,“
he said.
„… It’s not a one-way road.“
Chris Day, head of capability engineering at Schiebel who was formerly in the regulatory business, said he’s less convinced today that standards won’t impose added cost for industry, a huge concern for him.
„It’s all about numbers. Unless you can make the numbers work there won’t be an industry. Simple as that,“
he said.
