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
Category Archives: Regulatory Matters
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
ASKA A5 Drive-and-Fly eVTOL Obtains FAA Special Airworthiness Certification
The ASKA A5 is the world’s first flying car to start the type certification process with the FAA. The Silicon Valley air mobility company’s prototype was awarded Certificate of Authorization (COA) and Special Airworthiness Certification by the FAA and has started flight testing. Continue reading
China Issues Provisional Regulations for Drones
A set of provisional regulations for drones, issued by the State Council and the Central Military Commission, will take effect on Jan. 1, 2024. Continue reading