Although the season is somewhat artificial, the restart of the 12-month calendar has traditionally been a time both for reflecting on the past and looking ahead to the future. 2014 saw the sad disappearance of two transport jets: one for just a couple of days; the other still has not been found. The year also saw the dramatic increase in the popularity of hobby drones and a glimpse at the plethora of commercial uses of these vehicles.

For 2015, we can hope that the regulators and airlines will finally put into place robust global flight tracking so that the MH370 disappearance never happens again.

What will 2015 bring in terms of helpful drone regulations? The FAA’s self-described mission is “to provide the safest, most efficient aerospace system in the world.” Note the word ‘efficiency.’ It is meant, at least in part, to acknowledge that the airspace is used for commercial purposes and thus must be run so as to minimize enroute flight time and cost. Although the FAA missed its year-end deadline to announce new drone regulations, perhaps 2015 will see the FAA doing its part, not only to ensure safety, but also to enable the widespread commercial use of such aircraft.

I hope you had a happy holiday season and I wish you a prosperous new year!