Part 108 final rule sent to OIRA for review Review by Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs is one of final stages in federal rulemaking process before a rule may be cleared for publication. By Amber Harrison On Jul. 10, the FAA formally filed the final Part 108 rule, “Normalizing Unmanned Aircraft Systems Beyond Visual Line of Sight Operations,” with the US Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) for review. OIRA review is one of the final stages in the federal rulemaking process before a rule may be cleared for publication. While the substance of the final rule is not yet public, its submission signals that the FAA has completed its work on a regulatory framework intended to enable routine, scalable beyond visual line of sight operations. “Part 108 has the potential to fundamentally reshape low-altitude aviation.” Part 108 has the potential to fundamentally reshape low-altitude aviation. Its success, however, will depend on more than enabling the scalability of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). The final framework must also ensure that new operations are safely and predictably integrated alongside all users of the low-altitude airspace. This review period also provides stakeholders with an important opportunity to engage directly with OIRA regarding the rule’s anticipated impacts. For the vertical aviation community, the central question remains: Does the final rule create a framework that advances UAS operations while preserving an equivalent level of safety for everyone already operating in this increasingly complex airspace? Along with participating in the meeting process, VAI will be watching closely as the rule moves through review and will report to our members on its progress. Amber Harrison is VAI’s director of regulatory affairs.
