Next Generation Aviation Services adds to the UAS exemption list

By Emily Aasand | May 21, 2015

Next Generation Aviation Services has joined the growing list of companies who have received a U.S. Federal Aviation Administration Section 333 exemption for commercial operation of an unmanned aircraft system (UAS).  The exemption allows NGA to provide commercial unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) services throughout the U.S. and provide aerial solutions for multiple applications.

According to a letter from John Barbagallo, acting deputy director of the FAA’s Flight Standards Service, NGA is now allowed to “conduct research and development; training; aerial photography for real estate, construction firms; to assist first responders; and to enhance public awareness of UASs.”

The New Jersey-based company’s application was centered on safety, training and public awareness, two critical areas to the success of UAVs in the national airspace system.

NGA received FAA approval within four months of filing for the exemption. “We were working very closely with the FAA on the applications that were requested and through months of research and hard work by our team, we were able to achieve our approval in a very short amount of time,” said Frank Galella, owner of NGA.

“The FAA in Washington was very helpful and working together produced an exemption that will benefit many in the future,” Galella added.

Galella has extensive experience as an FAA certified repair station for manned aircraft, thousands of hours as a pilot and hundreds of hours spent training and teaching UAV operations.

McElroy, Deutsch, Mulvaney & Carpenter LLP (MDM&C), a law firm that offers aviation guidance, helped secure the exemption for NGA.

“We are extremely pleased to have played a role in what we consider to be a historic step; not only for our client, but also for the growth and commercial application of UAVs in our region,” said Albert Pucciarelli, head of MDM&C’s aviation and UAV practice group. “NGA’s rapid FAA approval was based, in large measure, on the application’s focus on safety, training and public awareness, which are critical to the adoption of UAVs in the national airspace system.”

 

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