Unmanned Aerial Vehicle The latest drone news
One of Canada’s main drone-delivery firms is welcoming an American UAS professional to its ranks – a professional with American regulatory expertise.
Drone Delivery Canada introduced this week the hiring of former FAA official Jim Williams within the newly created place of Director of Regulatory Affairs, USA.
Williams brings greater than 30 years of aerospace expertise to the place and lately served as Manager of the FAA’s Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Integration Office. Williams additionally served because the FAA’s Director of Systems Engineering, chief of the Integrated Product Team for ATC Communications, and govt lead for all FAA UAS integration actions.
“As we move ahead to solidify the roll out in international markets, Jim’s industry knowledge and experience in the United States of America will assist DDC greatly,” DDC CEO Tony Di Benedetto stated.
Di Benedetto added that Williams will oversee the corporate’s regulatory compliance and coordinate with the FAA at DDC’s new American element, Drone Delivery USA, to expedite the export of its drone supply know-how.
The announcement comes at an opportune time for DDC following the corporate’s profitable rollout of its Raven and Condor drones, that are anticipated to enrich the Sparrow drone traces and add bulkier payloads and higher distance capabilities. The Raven is predicted to have a payload capability of 20 lbs. and provide a distance of greater than 12 miles. The Condor will boast a payload capability of 400 kilos and boasts a distance of greater than 62 miles.
“These new aircraft will substantially enhance our service offering to customers and are seen as potential game-changers for the deployment of highly automated drones in a variety of industries and geographies. We will report further detailed technical progress on these initiatives later in Q3, 2018,” Di Benedetto added.
Prior to becoming a member of the FAA, Williams served as a flight check engineer and a manufacturing liaison engineer for the Lockheed Georgia Company’s C5, C-141 and C-130 applications. He additionally labored for NASA in Mission Control through the preliminary flights of the area shuttle.
“Since I left the FAA, my vision has been to do everything I can to help enable routine unmanned aircraft operations in the U.S. Joining the Drone Delivery Canada team is an amazing opportunity for me to realize the vision of making drone delivery in the U.S. a reality,” Williams stated.
