FAA Releases Its Proposal for Unmanned Aircraft Systems

Thousands of businesses - including farms - could receive government clearance to fly unmanned aircraft systems under 55-pounds - starting in two-years - under long-delayed rules proposed by the FAA. Operators would only have to pass a written test, register their drone and pay about $200 in fees.|
Dr. Eric Frew Director of Research and Engineering Center for Unmanned Vehicles at University of Colorado shares one of the proposal’s elements that was discouraging to many
Frew: “People are again not surprised so much as disappointed to not see in the rules is the ability to fly the aircraft beyond visual line of sight. So if you own a large portion of land and you want to use unmanned aircraft to survey your own property. You have to be — I think — within a half of mile of that aircraft at all times. So you can’t send this out to survey acres and acres of land on its own — even if it is over your property and even if no one else for miles around — you still have to be very close to the aircraft. That’s I think is the missing element that a lot of people hoping for especially for the agricultural applications.”
Also the proposed rules state aircraft can only be flown in daylight hours, below 500-feet and not over bystanders.
The public will be able to comment on the proposed FAA regulation for 60 days from the date of publication in the Federal Register.