Drones

The FAA has eased the arduous COA (Certificate of Waiver or Authorization) application required for commercial UAS operators, allowing for what the FAA calls a “blanket” 200-foot COA. What this means is that any drone operators who hold a Section 333 exemption can fly below 200 feet agl without having to go through the previously […]

A business center called Grand Sky has claimed the spot as the first commercial unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) business and aviation park in the United States. The center is located at the Grand Forks Air Force Base, 16 miles west of Grand Forks, North Dakota, and offers 1.2 million square feet of hangar, office, shop, […]

It’s been a long time coming, but over the weekend the FAA released a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) for the operation and certification of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) weighing less than 55 pounds. The NPRM suggests that people flying drones would be referred to as “operators” and not pilots. These operators would have to […]

There’s no question that drones are here to stay and we will likely soon see uses for these remotely controlled aerial vehicles that we can’t even imagine. But a growing number of citizens are concerned about their privacy as an increasing number of camera-clad buzzers fly near their homes. As people are looking for solutions, […]

The case of the FAA vs. Raphael Pirker has finally come to an end with a settlement that reduces the videographer’s $10,000 fine to $1,100 after he was charged by the agency for flying his Zephyr drone recklessly to capture aerial shots of the University of Virginia in 2011. In court Pirker argued that the […]

CNN has become the first news organization in the United States approved to use UAVs for reporting after the FAA granted the cable news network a special flight exemption. CNN is partnering with the Georgia Tech Research Institute to test camera-equipped drones for newsgathering and reporting. The FAA will analyze data from the tests to […]

With an increasing number of UAS incidents including several reports of close calls with airplanes, the UAS industry has worked with the FAA to come up with a campaign that sheds some light on how drone operations can and should be conducted in order maximize safety in the sky. Named “Know Before You Fly,” the […]

AOPA is urging the FAA to take steps to address the safety risks of small recreational UAVs, including stipulating penalties for pilots who operate them recklessly. The association made the recommendation yesterday in prepared comments at a House aviation subcommittee hearing on UAV operations. AOPA told the subcommittee that an “increasing number of incidents” involving […]

The FAA yesterday issued another five exemptions for commercial UAS operations to four companies under Section 333 of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012. The new exemptions greatly broaden the spectrum for legal commercial UAS uses, which has previously only been approved for movie making operations operating in controlled environments. The companies that […]

With media attention increasingly focused on the safety of UAVs, the House aviation subcommittee will hold a hearing this week on the status of drone integration into U.S. airspace. The hearing will focus on the state of the emerging UAV industry in the United States, including the FAA’s efforts to safely integrate unmanned drones into […]