The vision of integrating unmanned aircraft systems, or UAS, into airspace alongside traditional manned aircraft is rapidly becoming a reality. Continue reading
Category Archives: Regulatory Matters
FAA Authorizes Phoenix Air Unmanned to Operate Drones BVLoS for Certain Aerial Work
The FAA authorized Phoenix Air Unmanned to operate SwissDrones SVO 50 V2 drones beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) for aerial work, aerial photography, survey and powerline and pipeline patrol and inspection.
NCDOT Awarded Waiver for Remote Drone Operations at Construction Sites
North Carolina transportation engineers will soon be able to inspect and monitor construction sites more safely and efficiently using docked drones flown by pilots not located at the construction site. Continue reading
EASA Publishes List of Available Open Category Drones with Class Mark
From January 1, 2024 the drone regulation will become fully applicable and the open category will benefit from drones with a class mark. Drones with a C1 marking weighing up to 900 g will be able to conduct operations in populated areas (as defined in A1 subcategory). Drones up to 4 kg with a C2 marking will be able to fly as close as 5 m to uninvolved people (as defined in A2 subcategory). Continue reading
FAA Updates Stance on Preemption of State and Local Drone Laws
The FAA released a much-anticipated update on the scope of federal preemption of state and local regulation of unmanned aircraft systems (“UAS”), or drones. At least 44 states have laws regulating UAS, some of which raise preemption issues. Continue reading
FAA Plans to Support Air Taxis ‘At Scale’ by 2028
The Federal Aviation Administration has published a report broadly laying out a path to enable operation of electric air taxis and other novel aircraft in sizeable numbers by 2028. Continue reading
India to Harmonise UAS & Air Mobility Standards with EASA
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) India has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) for cooperation in Unmanned Aircraft Systems and Innovative Air Mobility. This MoU will focus on collaboration on unmanned aircraft and innovative air mobility between the two civil aviation authorities. Continue reading
Norway’s Supreme Court Cancels Yakunin-Case Ruling – Russians Banned from Flying Drones in Norway
Norway’s Supreme Court has overturned the Hålogaland Court of Appeal and Nord-Troms and Senja District Court’s acquittal of the British-Russian businessman Andrey Yakunin, the son of former head of state-owned Russian Railways Vladimir Yakunin, with the judgment that the flight ban against Russian citizens includes drone flights. Continue reading