1. The Integration of Drones
Aircraft Owners & Pilots Association
Protecting the Freedom to Fly

2. Drones– AOPA Perspective
Integration of Drones/Commercial UAS Must:
Preserve Safety
Preserve Access
No New Equipment for General Aviation manned
aircraft
Integration must also support and foster a robust commercial UAS industry…regulations should not be overly burdensome!

3. Evolution of the Drone Industry
Drones registered with FAA outnumber manned aircraft at 469,000 and growing
Projected global consumer drone market size to reach over $4 billion by 2024
2016 >
FAR Part 107
published
June 2016 &
implements
August 2016.
Continued
interest &
growth in
both the
hobbyist &
commercial
UAS space.
Some Key Drone Manufacturers
Section 333 Exemptions
filed with the FAA.
Agriculture, Energy,
and Tech Industries
show Growing Interest
in Drones and Evolving
Consumer Drone Market
According to the Association of Unmanned Vehicle Systems International, the market for commercial and non-military UAS (unmanned aircraft systems) will top $13.6 billion within three years, and will grow to more than $82.1 billion through Analysts describe commercial UAS as a “transformative technology” in the following fields of security, law enforcement, agriculture, catastrophe response and aerial imagery and mapping. Another rapidly growth area in UAS, is the consumer space or hobbyists. The consumer drone market size has been valued at $355 million in Continuing evolution of the technologies, such as collision avoidance and geo-fencing that make flying UAS safer has led to increased adoption of consumer drones across the industry. With this increased demand and increasing adoption of consumer and commercial UAS has led to the creation of new government regulations (FAR Part 107) and committees such as the Drone Advisory Committee (DAC) , in order to balance innovation and safety.
The UAS industry incorporates significant opportunities for growth over the forecast period. Manufacturers are focusing on the development of further innovative technologies, to expand its application base, such as transforming consumer UAS into flying smart phone platforms. These developments are expected to retain consumer's interest longer, expand product lifespan, and increase product value. The prosumer (high end recreational UAS) application segment is envisioned to remain the dominating segment over the next eight years and accounted for close to 60% of the overall market share in Drone racing as a recreational hobby is being promoted at a high scale which has led to increased adoption of drones for prosumer applications. The hobbyist market segment is expected to witness considerable growth, growing at a CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of close to 35% from 2016 to The demand for UAS in photogrammetry application was estimated to be close to 20 thousand units in 2014, which is expected to grow considerably over the next eight years. These UAS flying at lower altitudes offer an advantage over incumbent aerial technology (manned flight and satellite) for photogrammetry application.
Selectively used for
emergency response
Pre-2001
Primarily used for
military and
traditional hobbyists

4. Current AOPA Drone Initiatives
Advocacy
Safety and Education
Collaboration with FAA and Industry

5. Thank you!
Thank You