The Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) new small drone rule effective August 29 – formally known as Part 107 – allows for some expanded operations based on technology mitigations if you can make the safety case for a waiver of some provisions. Operators can apply for waivers to operate at night, beyond line of sight, above 400 feet and other specific types of operation. Continue reading
Category Archives: Regulatory Matters
FAA Publishes Air Traffic Organization Policy Order
This order combines new guidance for implementing 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Part 101, Subpart E, Special Rule for Model Aircraft, and 14 CFR, Part 107 Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS) with existing UAS guidance in J NO 7210.891 Unmanned Aircraft Operations in the National Airspace System (cancelled) and General Notice (GENOT) JO 7210.886, Model Aircraft Operations in the Vicinity of Airports (cancelled). This provides a single source document for Air Traffic Organization (ATO) personnel, in any class of airspace. Continue reading
EASA Publishes ‘Prototype’ Commission Regulation on UA Operations
At the UAS Stakeholders Meeting that took place at EASA headquarters on 20 June 2016, EASA announced that it would publish “Prototype Rules” for UAS in the very near future. Continue reading
The Four Most Important Questions Raised by the White House Drone Event
On Tuesday, August 2, 2016 the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) held its first-ever “Workshop on Drones and the Future of Aviation.” The event, co-hosted with the AUVSI Foundation, brought together 150 leaders in the UAS community, ranging from commercial operators to academics and hobbyists to policymakers. The purpose of the event was to stimulate discussion of the future of this burgeoning industry—where is it going? And what does government need to do to help it get there? Continue reading
Congress Library Report on UAS Regulations ex USA
A Law Library of Congress report titled Regulation of Drones surveys the rules that apply to the operation of civilian drones in twelve countries, as well as the European Union. The report includes individual country studies on Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, Poland, South Africa, Sweden, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom. Continue reading
13 Takeaways from The White House Workshop
The White House launched a new effort Tuesday to help increase the use of drones and showcased how government agencies have become a proving ground for a wide array of new drone concepts and technologies.
FAA: Half Million Drones Registered by Hobbyists
The FAA has registered more than a half million drones flown by hobbyists in the past eight months, its top administrator said at a White House gathering, but commercial drones haven’t been tackled yet.
Harnessing the Potential of UAS Technology
The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) hosted a workshop on Drones and the Future of Aviation—the first-ever event of its kind at the White House—to advance and celebrate the potential of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), or drones. The event gathered experts from government, industry and the academic research community in order to accelerate opportunities and address challenges posed by this emerging technology. Continue reading