My comments on the Fred Smith thing was can it be done, not should it be. And my point of view is stricktley from a safety case.

Certification issues are huge, and hugely expensive. When mfg's sit down and realize what it will cost for certifying systems to operate in the NAS, some will elect not to create certified systems, and my just sell to the DOD. Others, with experience in the certification process, will go ahead, but until the regulations exist (and that's what the output of SC-203 is supposed to propose to the FAA), everyone has an opinion and its just that.

I, for one, am not happy with the idea of unmanned freight ops because the ops, while it might not have people on board, still flys over populated areas and would operate within the same National Airspace System (NAS) that you and I fly in. Will we as the public accept any lower level of safety of the overall NAS for UAV activity? I certainly hope not.