The law on the operation of drones in Greece was published in the Government Gazzette last week, applying to the use of drones when they fly more than 50 meters away from the controller. Continue reading
Category Archives: Regulatory Matters
Time to Build an Australian National Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM) System
The Australian Association of Certified UAV Operators (ACUO) is calling for the Federal Government to launch a program to design, develop and implement a continent-wide unmanned traffic management (UTM) system as the only viable means of achieving the safe integration of remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) – called drones by the general public – into national airspace. Continue reading
Restrictions on Use of UAVs in US Antarctic Program
Due to the potential operational, environmental and safety hazards posed to Antarctic activities by the operation of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), the use of any UAV, drone, or remotely piloted aircraft in Antarctica by U.S. Antarctic Program (USAP) personnel is prohibited without specific authorization from the National Science Foundation (NSF) . Continue reading
The Space Between: Who Controls the Airspace Where Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Fly?
By Joshua S. Turner, partner and co-chair of the UAS Practice, and John T. Lin, associate in the Telecom, Media & Technology Practice, at Wiley Rein LLP in Washington, DC
No one disputes that the federal government has exclusive jurisdiction over “navigable air space,” which has historically begun “above the minimum safe altitudes of flight,” including the airspace needed to ensure safety in the takeoff and landing of aircraft. The FAA generally sets the minimum safe altitude as “500 feet above the surface [of non-congested areas], except over open water or sparsely populated areas.” Continue reading
ARRL Complaint Asserts that Illegal Drone Transmitters Could Interfere with Air Traffic Control
In what it calls an “extremely urgent complaint” to the FCC, ARRL has targeted the interference potential of a series of audio/video transmitters used on unmanned aircraft and marketed as Amateur Radio equipment. Continue reading
FAA Settles with Skypan on Airspace Violations
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration has announced a comprehensive settlement agreement with SkyPan International, Inc., of Chicago. The agreement resolves enforcement cases that alleged the company operated unmanned aircraft (UAS) in congested airspace over New York City and Chicago, and violated airspace regulations and aircraft operating rules. Continue reading
Restrictions on Drone Flights in France
The Directorate General for Civil Aviation (DGCA), with support from the National Geographic and Forest Information Institute (IGN) has developed an interactive map of zones of restrictions and prohibitions for use recreational of drones in metropolitan France. Continue reading
Drone Crashes into the Space Needle in Seattle
When a drone crashes into the Space Needle in Seattle, does it make a sound at the state Capitol? Washingtonians are about to find out. Some state lawmakers are growing increasingly concerned about the popularity of the unmanned aircraft, and are launching renewed efforts to regulate them.