The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), along with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, is informing drone operators of the restrictions on drone flights before, during and after Super Bowl LIV on Sunday, February 2 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. The FAA expects more than 2,500 additional take-offs and landings and almost
FAA
GAO Says FAA Could Leverage Drone Test Site Data for More Effective Integration
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) wrote in a report published last week that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has facilitated approximately 15,000 drone research flights since 2015, but that the FAA could make better use of the data it collects from these drone test flights.
Since 2015, both public and private entities have used…
FAA’s Proposed Rule for Drone Remote Identification
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) released its unmanned aircraft system (UAS or drone) remote identification Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (Proposed Rule) on December 31, 2019. This is a huge step toward the integration of drones into the national airspace and an effective unmanned traffic management system. There is a 60-day public comment period; if you…
FAA Announces Details about the Recreational Drone Flyer Test
This week, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced more details about its new recreational drone flyer test, which will be an opportunity to educate recreational flyers about the rules of flying a drone in national airspace. An FAA law passed in 2018 requires recreational drone flyers to pass an online aeronautical knowledge and safety test,…
Aviation Groups Urge House and Senate Committees to Reject Drone Legislation
In a letter submitted last month to the chairmen and ranking members of the House of Representatives Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and its aviation subcommittee, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) and other aviation industry groups urged the panels to oppose the Drone Integration and Zoning Act, S.2607. This Act “proposes enabling thousands…
Cybersecurity Considerations for Drones
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) estimates that by 2023 there will be more than 835,000 commercial drones in the United States. As the use of drones for many commercial purposes (such as aerial inspections, utility projects, monitoring real estate and construction activities) increases, more and more organizations will consider how to integrate these devices into…
Medical Prescription Delivered by Drone
Last week, UPS and CVS completed the first commercial medical prescription drone delivery in the United States under a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) program. The deliveries were made in North Carolina via a cable that lowered the prescriptions to the ground as the drone hovered about 20 feet above each destination. One of the packages…
UPS Receives FAA Approval for Drone Deliveries
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has granted UPS Flight Forward, Inc. (UPS) a Part 135 air carrier and operator certification for unmanned aircraft systems (UAS or drone) delivery. The certification was granted through the FAA’s UAS Integration Pilot Program and will allow UPS to perform revenue-generating package-delivery activities using drones. As a Part 135 operator,…
Another Delay in Issuance of UAS Remote Identification Regulations
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) announced that the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for remote identification of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS or drones) has been delayed – again. The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking is now scheduled for release in December 2019. These rules will address remote identification, which is the ability of a drone to…
FAA Demonstrates Successful UAS Traffic Management
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and industry partners in the unmanned aerial systems (UAS or drone) traffic management system pilot successfully demonstrated how multiple drones can function safely in the national airspace. During the demonstrations, conducted at three separate test sites, multiple beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS) operations were conducted at…