Droning On and On: The New FAA Rules

July 6, 2016

If man were meant to fly…drones…the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) would have given him rules and regulations.

By that logic it appears that man is meant to fly drones. The FAA recently released Rule 107. It is the set of rules governing small commercial drones. Until now, the FAA had been allowing companies to commercially fly small drones on a case-by-case basis through an exemption application process. The website Construction Dive says, “In an April report, the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) found that the construction and infrastructure industries were two of the biggest users of drones and that those two sectors combined accounted for almost 40% of FAA-approved exemptions.” 

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We really needed these rules.

Here are some of the basics of Rule 107:

  • The unmanned aircraft must weigh less than 55 pounds.
  • The maximum altitude is 400 feet above ground level.
  • The maximum ground speed is 100 miles per hour.
  • Hours of operation are restricted to daylight only.
  • Operators must keep the drone in their line of sight.
  • Operators must be 16 years of age or older.
  • Operators must pass an aeronautics test every two years for a certificate.
  • Operators must pass a background check with the Transportation Security Administration.

The 624-page rulebook will take effect in late August. That won’t be the end of all the rules for commercial drones. More will be emerging in the coming months and years.

Call this a boon for the construction and infrastructure industries and the companies that have been chomping at the bit to use their drones for aerial photos, monitoring projects, safety inspections, etc. Instead of waiting in line waiting for FAA exemption one by one, now they will all be able to start using the technology en masse.

For a more detailed look at Rule 107, here is the link for the complete text of the Small UAS Rule.

And here’s a link to a more condensed version of the new rules