Government forecast: 600K commercial drones within the year

The new laws won’t affect recreational flying, but for those hoping to fly drones commercially. The first exam became available at 8 a.m. this morning-Monday, August 29, 2016.

Warner said the new rule will also make it easier for companies that use drones for their business to no longer have to wait for an exemption from the FAA to lawfully operate their unmanned aircraft under federal guidelines.

“If the federal government continues to embrace drone technology policy that balances safety and innovation, by 2025 our country will reach one million drone flights per day”, Douglas Johnson, vice president for technology policy at the Consumer Technology Association, said in a statement. Some researchers have identified hundreds of incidents in which pilots reported drones flying dangerously close to airports in recent years, prompting many safety experts, drone proponents and lawmakers to call for automated digital “fencing” to prevent such incursions.

It’s important to understand the FAA won’t grant waivers automatically, and processing a waiver request may take time. Operators will need to apply for waivers if they want to fly drones at night, above 400 feet and other kinds of operations. Operators should submit a request at least 90 days before they intend to fly in controlled airspace.

Huerta said the FAA had already granted 76 exemptions, a lot of them to companies that want to fly drones at night.

The provisions of the new rule – formally known as Part 107 – are created to minimize risks to other aircraft, people and property on the ground. He had an interest in drone photography, but before the FAA announced its new rules he didn’t think it was feasible for him to qualify under the agency’s waiver program.

Tweedy said nationwide he expects to see 20,000 commercial drone certification tests in the next 12 months. This year, around 1.9 million units are expected to be sold. Although the FAA did not approve the drones for spraying, it appears the drones were approved for crop monitoring.

He estimated his firm has “dozens” of clients – but less than 50 – who are considering or already using drones for a number of purposes – data gathering, communication, conservation, to name a few.

Burns believes we’ll see drones delivering packages within the year.

The regulation does not allow beyond visual line-of-sight (BVLOS) operations, flights over people who are not involved in the operation and flights at night.

The applications for the waivers, exams and FAA requirements cost $150 and if an applicant doesn’t pass the test first time, they have to pay that fee each time they take the exam until they pass, Klavon said. The list is stored alphabetically by state then city and includes addresses and phone numbers for the locations.

The rules – which have been applauded by the Hollywood community – apply to drones weighing less than 55 pounds for non-hobbyist use, including film production.

Applications who take the exam will also need to complete FAA Form FAA Form 8710-13 for a remote pilot certificate.

Aurora Aviation also offers the test near Springfield.

Now he just has to take a 150 dollar FAA test.