New FAA rules regulate commercial drone use
30 Aug 2016
New rules by the US Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) became effective yesterday; clarifying what was acceptable commercial usage of small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), also known as drones.
To fly commercial drones operators would need to ensure they weighed less than 55 pounds, and flew to a maximum of 400 feet in altitude, and did not exceed the speed limit of 100 miles per hour.
The drones can only be operated during daytime and up to 30 minutes before sunrise and after sunset, the FAA rules stipulate. Drone operators would also need to qualify for flying certificates and be at least 16 years old.
Drone operators had to seek special waivers from the FAA earlier, a time-consuming and expensive process, to use UAVs for business.
"The current FAA scheme requires commercial drone operators to spend months waiting for an exemption and to employ a pilot with a manned aircraft license from the FAA. Those high barriers to entry have prevented many companies from exploring the benefits of drones in their industry, and have been a source of frustration for business owners for years," DJI, the world's biggest commercial drone-maker, explained in a June statement.
The new rules will allow drones to be put to work in construction, surveying, agriculture, fire-fighting, search and rescue, conservation, academic research, film and video production and countless other fields that will benefit from an affordable aerial perspective, DJI said in a Friday press release.
The new regulations apply to only commercial drone operators, not hobbyists and are much simpler than the interim rules operators laboured under for years while they awaited today's regulations, said Jon Rimanelli, founder and CEO of Detroit Aircraft, USA Today reported.
''This is going to open up the opportunity for a lot more companies and individuals to purchase a drone, so we'll be able to sell more product," said Rimanelli, 43. Detroit Aircraft makes and sells drones at Coleman A Young International Airport in Detroit.