White House Clears Small, Commercial Drones for Takeoff

Long awaited USA regulations allowing the use of commercial small drones were published by the Federal Aviation Administration Tuesday, banning the remotely-piloted aircraft from flying at altitudes over 400 feet, within five miles of airports and at nighttime.

The FAA rule limits most small commercial drone operations to daylight hours and requires operators to get certified every two years.

Under the FAA’s much-delayed final rules, drone operators will require a special waiver for any flights beyond the pilot’s line of sight.

“We’re already working on additional rules that will expand the range of operations”, Huerta said in a statement.

The FAA says they could stimulate $82 billion in industry and create upward of 100,000 jobs within 10 years.

The new rules will come in this coming August, and apply to drones weighing less than 55 lbs and are being used commercially, i.e., not by hobbyists. It also prohibits flights over unprotected people on the ground not involved in the UAS operations, according to the FAA release.

The FAA created the “Remote Pilot Certificate” process so someone age 16 and older can obtain a license after passing a written test at an FAA testing center, and undergoing a background check.

To apply for waivers, the FAA plans to make an online portal available for applications in the months ahead.

—Operators or an observer working with the operator must keep the drone within sight at all times. Taylor argues the FAA can’t make new rules and regulations like the registration program.

The new rules, which have been in the works since companies and drone makers began lobbying for commercial drone regulations years ago, will take effect after a 60-day comment period.

“Within months you will see the incredible impact of these rules with commercial drones becoming commonplace in a variety of uses”, said Michael Drobac, a lawyer at Akin Gump who represents drone efforts at companies like Amazon and Google. Those exemptions initially only permitted drones to be operated by people with a full pilot’s license, but that requirement was later rolled back to allow commercial drone flights by operators holding a sport or recreational pilot’s license. “But this is just our first step”.

The rules would still prevent delivery drones from flying across cities and suburbs clasping small packages, in part because that would entail flying over people.

“The arrival of these rules, and the ongoing industry and government cooperation they promise, will help ensure USA businesses and consumers enjoy all the benefits of drones at the lightning-fast speed of innovation”, Douglas Johnson, CTA’s vice president of technology policy, said Tuesday in a statement.