Rabat - The United States Federal Aviation Association (FAA) released a press release on Tuesday about new rules for drones, what they call “unmanned aircraft systems,” or UAS. These new rules will help integrate drones into airspace with planes and other aircraft, and allow routine commercial use of small drones.
Rabat – The United States Federal Aviation Association (FAA) released a press release on Tuesday about new rules for drones, what they call “unmanned aircraft systems,” or UAS. These new rules will help integrate drones into airspace with planes and other aircraft, and allow routine commercial use of small drones.
For drones less than 55 pounds that are being used for non-hobbyist operations, a UAS certification is required. These are much easier to get than a pilot’s licence, as was required previously. To get the certification, the pilot must be 16 or older and pass an aviation knowledge exam. It is possible to get the certification waived if it can be proved that the operation would be conducted safely. The waivers will be available online.
Under the new restrictions, the drones must remain in the pilot’s line of sight, can only fly during daylight hours, and cannot fly over crowds. This will prevent companies like Amazon that wish to begin delivery by drones. They claim that drone flight would greatly improve efficiency and the speed of delivery, though the new rules do not take these business strategies into consideration.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said, “We are part of a new era in aviation, and the potential for unmanned aircraft will make it safer and easier to do certain jobs, gather information, and deploy disaster relief. We look forward to working with the aviation community to support innovation, while maintaining our standards as the safest and most complex airspace in the world.”
The press release states that the new rules are estimated to generate more than $82 billion, and create over 100,000 jobs by 2026.
