Jeff has been involved in aerospace journalism since the mid 1990s. Prior to joining Aviation Week, Jeff served as managing editor of Launchspace magazine and the International Space Industry Report. He has been the editor and chief of Aviation Week's Aerospace Daily & Defense Report since 2007 and has been a regular contributor to Aviation Week magazine. He received his B.A. from the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Va.
Federal Aviation Administration officials are preparing for a surge of interest from other industry hopefuls following the announcement that FAA has awarded the first experimental airworthiness certificate to an unmanned aerial vehicle. General Atomics' Altair became the first UAV to earn such a certificate on Aug. 25, allowing it to conduct certain constrained flights within the national airspace for research and development, training, or market survey purposes (DAILY, Sept. 27).
NASA's possible cancellation of Access Five would seriously slow ongoing efforts by the FAA to develop regulations and standards for unmanned aerial vehicles, according to government and industry officials.
The Air Force considered flying a Predator unmanned aerial vehicle over the Houston area to monitor the effects of Hurricane Rita, but ultimately decided the requirement wasn't justified, according to an Air Force source.
