Avitas Systems, a General Electric (GE) venture, received Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approval to fly a large unmanned aerial system (UAS or drone) beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) of the operator in Loving County, Texas. The FAA’s authorization allows Avitas Systems to fly UAS over 55 pounds at low altitudes without a visual observer … Continue Reading
Over 100 years ago manned aviation revolutionized transportation. However, it is less well-known that it also sparked a big change in property rights. In the 1946 Supreme Court case, United States v. Causby, the court determined that although historically owning land was thought to convey a property right “to the periphery of the universe,” this … Continue Reading
On October 5, 2018, President Trump signed the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization Act which establishes new conditions for the recreational use of drones and immediately repealed the Special Rule for Model Aircraft. The FAA is currently evaluating the impact of this change and how the organization will implement these changes. In addition to continuing … Continue Reading
Drone pilots who interfere with those fighting wildfires, conducting law enforcement tasks, or other first responders (such as medical flights) are now more likely to face serious civil penalties. Last week, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued guidance for agency personnel who handle drone violations to refer all such cases to the FAA’s Chief Counsel’s … Continue Reading
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced new partners in its Low Altitude and Notification Capability (LAANC) initiative. LAANC is the system created by the FAA and industry stakeholders that provides near real-time processing of airspace authorizations for unmanned aerial systems (UAS) operations under the FAA’s Part 107 regulations. Now, after a five-month onboarding process (which … Continue Reading
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) administrator, Dan Elwell, said last week, “Drones are going to do for aviation what the internet did for information,” and called on the industry to work with the FAA to fully integrate drones into the National Airspace System. Elwell made this statement at the InterDrone conference held last week in Las … Continue Reading
Last week, on the two-year anniversary of the small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) rule (or Part 107), a report was released by the Association of Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) stating that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has granted approximately 2,000 waivers since the inception of Part 107. Part 107 sets forth certain parameters and … Continue Reading
Last week, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) began investigating a YouTube video that shows a helicopter almost colliding with a drone right off the coast of Hollywood Beach, Florida. In the video, the drone is heading west towards the coast before its camera turns south and the helicopter is seen in the distance; the helicopter … Continue Reading
Last week, the Kansas Department of Transportation (DOT), in coordination with 30 other Kansas groups, flew a drone beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) as part of the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) Integration Program (IPP). Kansas-State Polytech Flight Operation Manager Travis Balthazor said, “Currently, we’re restricted to a visual line of … Continue Reading
Last week, in Blacksburg, Virginia, two-year old, Jack Smith—made history. Only six minutes after a technician from Alphabet Inc.’s Wing clicked the “Confirm Order” button on a smartphone app, a drone operated by the company flew from a simulated store about a mile away, hovered over Jack’s lawn and lowered the popsicle he had ordered … Continue Reading
The use of drones use has grown rapidly in recent years, especially in the commercial sector, where the Federal Aviation Administration projects that the number of units in the commercial small drone fleet will exceed 420,000 units by 2021. As businesses continue to incorporate drones into their everyday operations, they also will want to set … Continue Reading
As of last week, more than 100,000 Remote Pilot Certifications have been issued by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for individuals to fly commercial and recreational (those not qualifying as “model aircraft”) drones. This number of remote pilots is only after the final Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS) rule went into effect on August 29, … Continue Reading
In light of the rise in use of drones in the national airspace, there has been some confusion regarding the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) authority over navigable airspace and federal preemption for state and local drone laws. In response, the FAA released a statement regarding federal versus local drone rulemaking authority. In that statement, the … Continue Reading
New model legislation introduced by the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws (Uniform Law Commission) seeks to give property owners the right to the airspace above their property from 200 feet and below. In 1946, the U.S. Supreme Court decided that the airspace belonged to the federal government; in 1962, a court decision … Continue Reading
A few weeks ago the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) sent a questionnaire to each person who has registered a commercial drone—that is, for purposes other than recreational or hobby use. The survey also included those registered under government departments and first responders. The FAA’s goal is to collect information on drone flight activities under Part … Continue Reading
The United States government’s ability to police hobbyist drone use was upheld by an appellate court last week. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit rejected arguments by John Taylor, a drone hobbyist, who successfully overturned the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) system for registering unmanned aerial systems (UAS or drones) last year. Judge … Continue Reading
A new report issued by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine says that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) should revise its approach for safety risk assessments for the technology associated with implementation of drones into the national airspace. Specifically, the report says that the FAA’s overly conservative approach to safety risk assessments can … Continue Reading
Last week, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced that it will require recertification for those who receive a Remote Pilot Airman Certificate under Part 107 small unmanned aircraft system (UAS or drone) regulations. The certification will only have a 24 month shelf life, and then the pilot needs to recertify their knowledge through additional testing. … Continue Reading
As planned, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has launched its next wave of its beta Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability (LAANC) system, in the western north region of the United States. LAANC helps to support the integration of drones into the national airspace. LAANC allows drone operators to obtain real-time airspace authorizations from air … Continue Reading
At test sites in 10 states –Alaska, California, Florida, Nevada, North Dakota, North Carolina, Kansas, Oklahoma, Virginia and Tennessee – the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) granted local-backed drone projects special licenses to test new ways of flying. At these test sites, drone package delivery and nighttime flights will be conducted, which are typically prohibited … Continue Reading
Listed as part of the semi-annual Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions, a new proposed rule will require drones registered with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to display a unique identifier assigned externally on the drone. As of today, drone owners and operators are required to enclose the ID on the insider of … Continue Reading
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) will now fund double the number of unmanned aircraft system (UAS or drone) integration projects as it previously has, due to a strong response from organizations and companies wishing to participate. The DOT’s UAS Integration Pilot Program (IPP) was set to launch five projects in the initial round, but … Continue Reading
As of April 30, 2018, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has begun its beta test of the Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability (LAANC) in the South Central United States. For the list of those facilities in South Central, click here. The system will continue incremental deployment at nearly 300 air traffic facilities covering about … Continue Reading
Last week, Xcel Energy (Xcel), Colorado’s largest utility company, received a waiver from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for drone operations beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS). Xcel will use drones to conduct routine inspections of electronic transmissions lines, making it the first utility company to receive such an authorization. Xcel’s CEO and Chairman, Ben … Continue Reading
