FAA Approved Means of Compliance RID

[PacificSkyDreamn]

I see the FAA this week approved the first "means of compliance" application for Remote ID. It was submitted by the ASTM as "ASTM F3586-22, “Standard Practice for Remote ID Means of Compliance to Federal Aviation Administration Regulation 14 CFR part 89." On the ASTM website its listed at $60. I was curious if anyone has actually read it?

Federal Register :: Request Access

Standard Practice for Remote ID Means of Compliance to Federal Aviation Administration Regulation 14 CFR Part 89

3.1 The general approach to this practice is to serve as an “overlay” of requirements to the ASTM F3411-22a Standard Specification for Remote ID and Tracking by identifying mandatory portions, substituting values as needed, overriding items that may be o

www.astm.org

 

[Vic Moss]

My business partner at DSPA helped write it. Unless you're actually developing an RID system, it's pretty boring reading. It's very technical, which is the point. It's only $60 if someone is curoius.

 

[Big Bro]

Now, if we could just get an actual RID module for $60 bucks.

 

[Vic Moss]

Now, if we could just get an actual RID module for $60 bucks.

I think that is a very realistic number. Maybe even lower as more come on the market.

 

[PacificSkyDreamn]

My business partner at DSPA helped write it. Unless you're actually developing an RID system, it's pretty boring reading. It's very technical, which is the point. It's only $60 if someone is curoius.

Thanks for the insight. Using the ASTM standard do you think DJI will be able to get existing drones - I have an Air 2 - into compliance next year with just firmware/software updates?

 

[Vic Moss]

Thanks for the insight. Using the ASTM standard do you think DJI will be able to get existing drones - I have an Air 2 - into compliance next year with just firmware/software updates?

I have no idea. I quit guessing what DJI was going to do. I've even asked my contacts and they won't (or can't) say.

However, the update they put out to make their drones conform to the Japanese RID system said it did conform to ASTM standards, so who knows?

 

[JoelP]

I have no idea. I quit guessing what DJI was going to do. I've even asked my contacts and they won't (or can't) say.

However, the update they put out to make their drones conform to the Japanese RID system said it did conform to ASTM standards, so who knows?

Did they chard for that Japanese solution? I hate to be a pessimist, but I am feeling that DJI will not miss an opportunity to extract money from my wallet. When they have a solution and the law is in effect they will push an update onto my drone which will ground my MA3 until I pay this fee even if the update is just firmware. They will justify this as the only way to recover the cost of developing a RID solution.

 

[Vic Moss]

Did they chard for that Japanese solution? I hate to be a pessimist, but I am feeling that DJI will not miss an opportunity to extract money from my wallet. When they have a solution and the law is in effect they will push an update onto my drone which will ground my MA3 until I pay this fee even if the update is just firmware. They will justify this as the only way to recover the cost of developing a RID solution.

The is absolutely no reason for DJI to charge for this update. They've never charged for any firmware update. It's ludicrous for anyone to think they'd to that now.

Think of the PR nightmare that would create.

No, they won't. No company is that stupid.

 

[JoelP]

I hope that you are right. Sorry for being so cynical.

 

[PacificSkyDreamn]

I have no idea. I quit guessing what DJI was going to do. I've even asked my contacts and they won't (or can't) say.

However, the update they put out to make their drones conform to the Japanese RID system said it did conform to ASTM standards, so who knows?

The is absolutely no reason for DJI to charge for this update. They've never charged for any firmware update. It's ludicrous for anyone to think they'd to that now.

Think of the PR nightmare that would create.

No, they won't. No company is that stupid.

The other part of the equation will be the development of the apps to read whatever signal/data is transmitted from a drone and converting into usable information. I doubt these will be free on the Apple/Google stores. Sure they could have ads in them to give the developer money, but this seems like such a niche market that I can't see a developer earning that much revenue from ads. This doesn't appear to be a simple app to develop - you definitely need some skills in radio technology/engineering - so I would think any app developer, especially the part-timer, would want to charge a few bucks for their hard work. I also don't see it in the drone manufacture's interest to create a RID reader app and put it out there for free.

 

[Vic Moss]

The other part of the equation will be the development of the apps to read whatever signal/data is transmitted from a drone and converting into usable information. I doubt these will be free on the Apple/Google stores.

The likelihood of them not being free works in our benefit. Unless someone goes out and actually spends money on an RID app to find us, they won't be able to. So I like this aspect of the apps.

Sure they could have ads in them to give the developer money, but this seems like such a niche market that I can't see a developer earning that much revenue from ads. This doesn't appear to be a simple app to develop - you definitely need some skills in radio technology/engineering - so I would think any app developer, especially the part-timer, would want to charge a few bucks for their hard work. I also don't see it in the drone manufacture's interest to create a RID reader app and put it out there for free.

DJI already has the ability to do this with their AeroScope. They've also developed an app already. They publicly tested it in Canada about 2 years ago. But I agree that they wouldn't likely put it out there for free. And it's likely going to only be available to qualified entities (cops, CI, etc.), similar to how the sell the AeroScope system.

 

[lookout]

The likelihood of them not being free works in our benefit. Unless someone goes out and actually spends money on an RID app to find us, they won't be able to. So I like this aspect of the apps.


DJI already has the ability to do this with their AeroScope. They've also developed an app already. They publicly tested it in Canada about 2 years ago. But I agree that they wouldn't likely put it out there for free. And it's likely going to only be available to qualified entities (cops, CI, etc.), similar to how the sell the AeroScope system.

That's basically called proprietary. But will aeroscope get squashed to satisfy the FAA or will it be a firmware update just like on the software update for remote ID that DJI is talking about being able to do? Or maybe aeroscope remains and they have just updated the firmware in the quads themselves to satisfy the FAA? But then Aeroscope would then be obsolete.

Paying $60 for an OEM is no biggie, but maybe they want to keep it out of the general public just like the paid apps?