Pilots Express Concerns With Part 108 Drone Proposal

AOPA, ALPA, and other groups feel the FAA is not hearing their worries about risk elevation.

Jack Daleo

Friday, October 10, 2025 at 02:34 PM ET

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Jack Daleo

There is a stark divide between pilots and commercial drone operators, such as Wing, when it comes to the FAA’s proposed Part 108 rule. [Courtesy: Wing]

Key Takeaways:

The FAA has proposed Part 108 regulations to enable Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) drone operations for commercial purposes like delivery and inspection.
Pilot associations strongly oppose Part 108, arguing it elevates risk to crewed aircraft by granting drones right-of-way in certain scenarios, having less stringent operator requirements, and lacking sufficient drone detect-and-avoid capabilities.
The drone industry, while supportive of BVLOS, also critiques the proposal, finding some security threat assessments and detect-and-avoid requirements overly burdensome, costly, or technically unfeasible.
With over 1 million comments received, the proposal highlights a significant divide between crewed aviation and the drone industry, leaving the FAA to reconcile differing safety and operational concerns before finalizing the rule.

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The FAA has spent more than four years developing regulations for beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) drone flight. Its publication of a proposed Part 108 rule in August marked its largest step toward opening the floodgates for commercial drone delivery, inspection, and any number of missions outside the direct view of the operator—including in controlled airspace.

But pilots represented by the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), and other groups fear the proposal elevates risk to crewed aircraft.