Regulatory area
Closing Summary
The 2016-2017 Canada-US Regulatory Cooperation Council (RCC) Work Plan for Aviation Safety is now closed.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Transport Canada (TC) will continue exploring opportunities to further information and data sharing with respect to areas, such as:
- The development of future regulations, including regulations for beyond visual line-of-sight rules for remotely piloted aircraft systems, and to develop a joint approach for cross-border operations;
- Existing and future research and development initiatives;
- Common approaches to program implementation; as well as,
- Leveraging opportunities to broaden stakeholder engagement, such as collaboration on initiatives related to safety awareness with stakeholders in both the private and public sector.
Regulatory area to be addressed
Federal Aviation Administration / Transport Canada
Aviation Safety: Transport Canada (TC) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will continue to collaborate in the area of aviation safety, with a specific focus on unmanned aircraft systems (UAS).
UAS is a rapidly growing sub-sector of the aviation industry, which provides a unique opportunity respecting technology and innovation, but also introduces new safety challenges to the aviation system. The challenges confronted by many States, including Canada and the United States, is the development of a regulatory framework, supported by effective program implementation, compliance and enforcement, to safely integrate UAS into the respective domestic aviation systems.
To achieve this objective, TC and the FAA will build upon its existing bilateral relationship and work through international fora to further information sharing with respect to: the development of regulations; existing and future research and development (R&D) initiatives; common approaches to program implementation; as well as leveraging opportunities to broaden stakeholder engagement.
This work plan consists of four work streams with a focus on policy, regulatory and programming cooperation: 1. Exchange and Promotion of UAS Research and Development to Assist in Future Rulemaking; 2. Outreach, Compliance and Enforcement; 3. Consultation on Small UAS Rule-Making Activities and Forward-Looking Collaboration on Future UAS Rules; and 4. Enhancing International Collaboration and Advancing Common Interests.
Work Stream 1: Exchange and Promotion of UAS Research to Assist in Future Rulemaking
Department/Agency
United States
Canada
Federal Aviation Administration
Transport Canada
Market Data and Research: June 2016-January 2020
| Planned initiatives and sub-deliverables | Date |
|---|---|
| Sharing of UAS industry market data to help inform regulatory development and research and development activities. | 2016 |
| Comparison of weight and energy thresholds considered for regulatory framework, including the sharing of methodologies and risk assessments. | 2016 |
Reciprocal Site-Visits to UAS Test Centres: 2017-18
| Planned initiatives and sub-deliverables | Date |
|---|---|
| Comparison of operational frameworks associated with the development and operation of test sites and pilot projects in both countries in order to identify and share best practices. | 2016 |
| Bilateral UAS test site visits: Transport Canada to visit a U.S. UAS Test Site and the FAA to visit a Canadian UAS Test Centre. | 2017-2018 |
Work stream 2: Outreach, Compliance and Enforcement
Department/Agency
United States
Canada
Federal Aviation Administration
Transport Canada
Information Exchange Regarding Outreach, Compliance, and Enforcement: June 2016-January 2020
| Planned initiatives and sub-deliverables | Date |
|---|---|
| Comparison of protocols used by law enforcement agencies to enforce federal aviation legislation and to assist in investigation of unauthorized UAS activities. | Ongoing |
| Share lessons learned on the use of non-regulatory mechanisms to enhance safety awareness, including campaigns, plans and strategies with metrics, results, and target audiences to augment respective safety awareness and compliance rates. | July 2016 – July 2017 |
| Compare approaches to designing program services and share best practices on adapting databases, creating new platforms, infrastructure costs, and information system management to minimize costs and facilitate UAS operations. | July 2016 – July 2017 |
| Identify opportunities for the private sector to play a greater role in promoting safety awareness. | Ongoing |
Work stream 3: Consultation on Small UAS Rule-Making Activities and Forward-Looking Collaboration on Future UAS Rules
Department/Agency
United States
Canada
Federal Aviation Administration
Transport Canada
Consultation on Small UAS Rule-Making Activities: June 2016-January 2020
| Planned initiatives and sub-deliverables | Date |
|---|---|
| Transport Canada and the Federal Aviation Administration to publish respective proposed regulations. | 2016-2017 |
| Transport Canada and the Federal Aviation Administration to provide feedback, suggestions, and comments on each country’s respective proposal. | 2017 |
Forward-Looking Collaboration on Future UAS Rules - June 2016–January 2020
| Planned initiatives and sub-deliverables | Date |
|---|---|
| Continue to share information at Advisory and Rulemaking Committees | Ongoing |
| Explore the potential of a North American industry design standard to ensure cross-border consistency for manufacturers and operators. | September 2016 - September 2017 |
Future Rulemaking Activities - January 2015 - January 2020
| Planned initiatives and sub-deliverables | Date |
|---|---|
| Conduct bi-annual meetings to review potential future UAS rulemaking activities and identify opportunities for further collaboration. | Ongoing |
| Identify timelines and objectives for the development of beyond visual line-of-sight (BVLOS) regulations | 2017 - 2018 |
Work stream 4: Enhancing International Collaboration and Advancing Common Interests
Department/Agency
United States
Canada
Federal Aviation Administration
Transport Canada
Participation at the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO): 2016
| Planned initiatives and sub-deliverables | Date |
|---|---|
| Use ICAO as a forum to promote North American strategies for global UAS standards and recommended practices at the RPAS Panel and ICAO sUAS Advisory Group (AG). | 2016 - 2017 |
| Identify opportunities to co-author or support working and information papers related to UAS. | September 2016 - September 2017 |
Promoting Common interests in other International Fora: 2016-2017
| Planned initiatives and sub-deliverables | Date |
|---|---|
| Coordinated stakeholder engagement at UAS themed annual conferences and international fora. | 2016 - 2017 |