NTSB ANNOUNCES AGENDA FOR UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS SAFETY FORUM

[NTSB Press Releases <NTSBPressReleases@xxxxxxxx>]

Title: NTSB ANNOUNCES AGENDA FOR UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS SAFETY FORUM

************************************************************
                      NTSB PRESS RELEASE
************************************************************

National Transportation Safety Board
Washington, DC 20594

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 23, 2008
SB-08-15

************************************************************

NTSB ANNOUNCES AGENDA FOR UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS SAFETY
FORUM

************************************************************

The National Transportation Safety Board has published the
preliminary agenda for the Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS)
Safety Forum, which will take place on April 29-30 2008, in
the NTSB Board Room and Conference Center (429 L'Enfant
Plaza, SW, Washington, DC 20594).  The forum is open to all
and free to attend (there is no registration).  Seating is
limited to 350.  The event will also be webcast live on
www.ntsb.gov.

The forum will consist of presentations by invited
representatives from the organizations listed below.  At the
conclusion of all presentations for each topic area,
presenters will take part in a question and answer
discussion with Board Members, NTSB staff, the on-site
audience, and via email for those viewing the webcast.

UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS SAFETY FORUM - PRELIMINARY AGENDA
_________________________________________

Tuesday, April 29 (8:00 A.M. - 5:00 P.M.)
_________________________________________

OPENING STATEMENT
- NTSB Board Member Kitty Higgins

CURRENT AND FUTURE UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS APPLICATIONS
- Andrew Hahn (NASA Langley Research Center)

OVERVIEW: PURPOSE AND FOCUS OF SAFETY FORUM
- NTSB

REGULATORY ISSUES
- Current National Airspace System (NAS) requirements
- Roadmap and rulemaking for large and small UAS
applications
- Public verses civil use
Presenters: FAA Unmanned Aircraft Program Office

INTEGRATION OF UAS INTO THE NATIONAL AIRSPACE SYSTEM
- Air Traffic Control (ATC) procedures and training for
manned and unmanned aircraft, data links and lost link
emergency procedures
- Concurrent use of manned and unmanned aircraft in
proximate airspace
Presenters: FAA Unmanned Aircraft Program Office, FAA Air
Traffic Management Office, U.S. Air Force Safety Center,
Airline Pilots Association, Department of Defense/Policy
Board on Federal Aviation, and the National Air Traffic
Controllers Association

CURRENT CERTIFICATE OF AUTHORIZATION OPERATIONS AND LESSONS
LEARNED
- Safety requirements
- Public use operations: safety policy and oversight
- Accidents, incidents, and resulting lessons learned
Presenters: Customs and Border Protection, Department of
Energy, U.S. Air Force, NASA, Houston Police Department, and
the Interagency Committee for Aviation Policy

PERSPECTIVES OF OTHER NATIONAL AIRSPACE SYSTEM USERS
- Impact of UAS on manned aircraft operations
- Safety concerns
- Mitigation strategies
Presenters: Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, Airline
Pilots Association, and the Air Transport Association
___________________________________________

Wednesday, April 30 (8:00 A.M. - 4:30 P.M.)
___________________________________________

UAS EQUIPMENT DESIGN STANDARDS, AIRWORTHINESS, AND
MAINTENANCE
- Design requirements and standards
- Determining design airworthiness
- Manufacturing quality
- Maintenance programs
Presenters: U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, U.S. Air Force, General
Atomics, Boeing, Northrop Grumman, and the AAI Corporation

HUMAN FACTORS
- Pilot selection, certification, and training
- Human-machine interface
- Teamwork/communication and coordination
Presenters: FAA Civil Aerospace Medical Institute, U.S. Air
Force, NASA, and Arizona State University

CASE STUDY: NASA'S IKHANA FIRE MISSION
- Safety planning and preparation
- Lessons learned
Presenters: NASA, U.S. Forest Service, FAA Air Traffic
Western Service Area, and FAA Air Traffic Control

CLOSING REMARKS
- NTSB Board Member Kitty Higgins

EXHIBITS
When the UAS Safety Forum was announced by press release on
March 3, 2008, an open invitation was made to organizations
currently involved with unmanned aircraft systems to display
exhibits that demonstrate UAS technologies. The following
organizations have indicated that they will display an
exhibit at the safety forum:

AAI
Airborne Law Enforcement Association
Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International
AV AeroVironment
Blackfly
Boeing
Defense Research Associates, Inc.
Insitu
Northrop Grumman
SimAuthor

Exhibit space was allocated on a first-come, first-served
basis.

The press release announcing the forum is available at
http://www.ntsb.gov/Pressrel/2008/080303.html

###

Media Contact: Peter Knudson
peter.knudson@xxxxxxxx
(202) 314-6100

************************************************************

This message is delivered to you as a free service from the
National Transportation Safety Board.

You may unsubscribe at any time at
http://www.ntsb.gov/registration/registration.htm  

An archive of press releases is available at
http://www.ntsb.gov/pressrel/pressrel.htm

Current job opportunities with the NTSB are listed at
http://www.ntsb.gov/vacancies/listing.htm

For questions/problems, contact pubinq@xxxxxxxx