There will be 600,000 commercial drone aircraft operating in the USA within the year as the result of new safety rules that opened the skies to them on Monday, according to a Federal Aviation Administration estimate. This is good news for companies who may have wished to use drones in the past, but refrained because of the complex approval process that took several months and required that drones be operated by pilots who carried a manned aircraft licensure issued by the FAA.
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One aspect of the new rules states that an aircraft may not operate over any persons not directly participating in the operation, but that is poised to change.
-Limit drone operations to the hours from a half-hour before sunrise to a half-hour after sunset.
Led by Agvent, CNN just two weeks ago launched a drone unit with two full-time operators to work the images gleaned from the devices into CNN networks and platforms, as well as for co-owned Turner Broadcasting and Time Warner.
-Limit speed to no more than 100 miles per hour.
Flying at a maximum altitude of 400 feet above ground level (AGL) or, if higher than 400 feet, remain within 400 feet of a structure.
To ensure safe flight, operators use what PrecisionHawk calls a “low altitude traffic and airspace safety system”, or LATAS, to enable its drones to automatically avoid other air traffic and obstacles encountered while in the air.
No carriage of hazardous materials.
A new ruling from the Federal Aviation Administration that went into effect this past Monday will make it easier for companies to fly drones if certain guidelines are followed. After an operator passes the test, he or she must complete an FAA Airman Certificate and/or Rating Application to receive a remote pilot certificate.
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A notable concern is the close proximity to airports in which drones have operated. An estimated 100,000 new jobs will reportedly be created and at least $82 billion in revenue generated in the first decade following the implementation of Part 107, according to an AUVSI economic report (PDF). “Drones are helping to create a whole new means of realizing the American dream”, he added later.
