Mark Your Calendar for the 2019 UAS Symposium The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) will co-host the 4th Annual FAA Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Symposium on June 3-5, 2019 at the Baltimore Convention Center, Baltimore, MD.The Symposium will bring together representatives from the FAA, other government agencies, industry and academia to discuss the latest issues related to the increasingly diversified uses of … Read More
Operation of Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems over People
The FAA has given notice today of a proposed rulemaking to allow for drone flights over people and at night. The FAA proposes to amend its rules applicable to the operation of small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). This rulemaking would allow operations of small unmanned aircraft over people in certain conditions and operations of small UAS at night without obtaining a waiver. It would also require remote pilots in command … Read More
FAA Makes Major Drone ID Marking Change
All operators must now place their registration number on the outside of the drone. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has posted a new rule in the Federal Register requiring small drone owners to display the FAA-issued registration number on an outside surface of the aircraft. Owners and operators may no longer place or write registration numbers in an interior compartment as allowed previously. The rule is effective on February 23, … Read More
FAA Needs Advisory Group Members
FAA Seeks New Drone Advisory Group Members The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has posted a notice in the Federal Register soliciting qualified candidates to serve on the Drone Advisory Committee (DAC). The committee provides an open venue for the FAA and stakeholders to identify and recommend consensus-based resolutions for issues related to the integration of unmanned aircraft (UAS) into the National Airspace System. The notice explains the responsibilities associated with … Read More
Drone Pilots: President Trump Signs FAA Reauthorization Act
On October 5, 2018, the President signed the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018. The Act establishes new conditions for recreational use of drones and immediately repeals the Special Rule for Model Aircraft. The agency is evaluating the impacts of this change in the law and how implementation will proceed. The Reauthorization Act cannot be fully implemented immediately, please continue to follow all current policies and guidance with respect to the … Read More
H.R. 302, the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 passed by Senate
The act not only provides funding for the Federal Aviation Administration for the next five year but it also brings major changes to the aviation industry as a whole and to the drone industry specifically. With a 93-6 vote, the Senate passed the H.R. 302, the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 today. The FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 repeals Section 336, under which currently all hobbyist drone operators fly. Going … Read More
FAA to Target UAS Violators for Enforcement
The FAA says drone pilots of unmanned aircraft (“drones”) who interfere with fighting wildfires, law enforcement efforts, or other first responders, such as medical flights, now are more likely to face serious civil penalties, even for first-time offenses. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has provided guidance for agency personnel who handle possible drone violations to refer all cases involving interference with first responders to the FAA Chief Counsel’s office for … Read More
Drone Pilots and Hurricane Florence
Drone Users Must Not Interfere with First Responders The FAA warns drone operators that they will be subject to significant fines that may exceed $20,000 and civil penalties if they interfere with emergency response operations. Flying a drone without authorization in or near the disaster area may violate federal, state, or local laws and ordinances, even if a Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) is not in place. Allow first responders to … Read More
The FAA’s Drone Pilot Program Has Taken Off
The FAA’s UAS Integration Pilot Program has been busy accelerating drone technology in four states this month. “Data gathered from these pilot projects will form the basis of a new regulatory framework to safely integrate drones into our national airspace,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao at the May 9 announcement of the 10 selectees. “We’re working with state, local, and tribal governments and private industry to demonstrate and study … Read More