Gregory Walden has been elected chair of the Joint Authorities for Rulemaking on Unmanned Systems (JARUS) Stakeholder Consultation Body (SCB). Walden is a former chief counsel at the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and is currently counsel to the Small UAV Coalition, which announced his election. He also is senior counsel at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer and Feld. The Small UAV Coalition, which is a partnership of consumer and technology companies, is advocating for risk-based regulations that “will allow for the safe and expedited integration of small UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) into the national air space,” according to the group’s website.
JARUS comprises experts from 46 national aviation authorities, as well as the European Aviation Safety Agency and Eurocontrol. Its purpose is to recommend a single set of technical, safety and operational requirements for the certification and safe integration of unmanned aircraft systems into airspace and at airports, the organization says. The object of JARUS is to provide guidance material to aid each authority in writing its own requirements and to avoid duplication efforts.
The SCB was established in 2015 to represent aviation stakeholders, including the UAV/UAS industry, in JARUS activities and to serve as a resource for JARUS.
