At the end of July, the FAA granted its 1,000th exemption. An analysis of the exemptions, as reflected in the chart below, shows that nearly half are for applications involving photography, including videography and film production. The next most frequent industries cited in approved exemption petitions are real estate and utilities/energy/infrastructure, which made up roughly one-third and one-quarter, respectively, of granted exemptions. Rounding out the top five are agriculture and construction, both appearing in around one-fifth of approved exemption petitions.
|
FAA UAS Exemptions by Industry* |
||
|---|---|---|
| Industry |
Number |
Percent of Total Exemptions |
| Photo/Film |
477 |
47.7% |
| Real Estate |
289 |
28.9% |
| Utilities/Energy/Infrastructure |
234 |
23.4% |
| Agriculture |
202 |
20.2% |
| Construction |
171 |
17.1% |
| Emergency Service |
77 |
7.7% |
| Education |
59 |
5.9% |
| Manufacturer |
40 |
4.0% |
| Government Contracting |
30 |
3.0% |
| Insurance |
30 |
3.0% |
| Conservation |
27 |
2.7% |
| Scientific Studies |
18 |
1.8% |
| Other |
15 |
1.5% |
Further, a review of the exemptions through a geographic lens reveals that almost one-third were granted to applicants in three states — California, Florida and Texas — as reflected in the chart below. Additionally, roughly one-third of the exemptions went to companies in Southern states, while another approximate one-third were secured by companies in Western states. Companies in Midwestern and Northeastern states each claimed nearly one-fifth of the exemptions.
|
FAA UAS Exemptions by Geography* |
|
| Top Three States |
325 (or 32.5%) |
| California |
125 (or 12.5%) |
| Florida |
115 (or 11.5%) |
| Texas |
85 (or 8.5 %) |
| Regions | |
| South |
328 (or 32.8%) |
| West |
294 (or 29.4%) |
| Midwest |
180 (or 18.0%) |
| Northeast |
170 (or 17.0%) |
| International |
9 (or 0.9%) |
| Other |
19 (or 1.9%) |
Source: JD Supra