After an ongoing level of uncertainty surrounding the use of drones for commercial purposes, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has proposed a set of rules for commercial drone operation that will see some winners, and some losers in the emerging space

Under the proposed regulations basic commercial operations, such as news gathering will be allowed, but commercial deliveries, like those proposed by Amazon, will be banned as drone operators will be required to keep their drones within their line of sight at all times, and will not be able to drop items from their drones.

Other rules proposed include:

• A small drone operator must always see and avoid manned aircraft.
• The operator must discontinue the flight when continuing would pose a hazard to other aircraft, people or property.
• A small drone operator must assess weather conditions, airspace restrictions and the location of people to lessen risks if he or she loses control of the drone.
• A small drone may not fly over people, except those directly involved with the flight.
• Flights should be limited to 500 feet altitude and no faster than 100 mph.
• Operators must stay out of airport flight paths and restricted airspace areas

Under the proposed rules Drone operators would have to be at least 17 years old, and would have to obtain a license, or what the FAA calls a UAS (unmanned aircraft systems) operator certificate. After two years an operator would have to pass the FAA knowledge test to maintain certification.

“We have tried to be flexible in writing these rules,” said FAA Administrator Michael Huerta. “We want to maintain today’s outstanding level of aviation safety without placing an undue regulatory burden on an emerging industry.”

Of note these rules only apply to the commercial use of drones; the booming hobbyist market will not be affected by the proposals.

Although Amazon will be disappointed by the proposals, the regulations are long overdue in the United States where commercial drone operators currently have to seek out an FAA waiver to operate.

photo credit: Phantom 2 via photopin (license)