FAA Fails to Meet The Year End Drone Regulations Deadline
The FAA has missed its deadline of year-end for release of drone regulations. The proposed regulations were delivered to the White House in October but has yet to be released by the administration. Accordingly, the Office of Management and Budget has 90 days to review before release. Once released the public then has it’s time to make comment on the proposed regulations. When it’s all said and done it could be another year before any regulations are in place. This is a nerve-racking process for those fliers that would like to utilize these systems for commercial purposes. Of much interest is how the FAA intends to deal with pilot and aircraft certification. My guess is there will be weight classes as it relates to certification as well as a clear distinction between commercial operations and hobbyist operations. If the past is any predictor of the future then we might see either a requirement for a private pilot license or a commercial pilot certificate. The companies that have received exemption have all been required to possess a PPL to act as pilot in command of their systems being used in movie production. These are also closed sets so a future regulation could require higher certification of the pilot-in-command. We all know this is a hot button item and we’ve seen the explosive growth in the UAS market. It will be interesting to see how this is addressed by the government in the framework of regulations. Previously, many states have preemptively drafted their own regulations as it relates to operation and privacy concerns. Many believe the FAA will issue a clause that governs their right to control all UAS/UAV regulations in the national airspace. Wait for it, it’s going to get more interesting.
Jason Heyman is a single engine and multi-engine Commercial Pilot and Certified Flight Instructor/Instrument who has a passion for all things flight. He is currently working on a Master’s Degree in Unmanned Systems at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. If you wish to contact Jason please use the contact us page.