The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has published more than 200 facility maps to streamline the commercial drone authorization process. The maps depict areas and altitudes near airports where UAS may operate safely. But drone operators still need FAA authorization to fly in those areas. Continue reading
Category Archives: Regulatory Matters
New Audit of FAA Drone Operation Waivers
The Office of the U.S. DOT Inspector General has initiated another audit into the FAA’s approval and oversight processes for unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). This audit focuses on the waivers that permit UAS uses to go beyond some of the basic limitations, such as operating beyond line of sight or at night. Continue reading
AriAscend Proposes Electronic Drone ‘License Plate’
AriAscend, an Oregon unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) drone services and data company, proposed a remote identification technology and framework to allow authorities and citizens to identify drones in air.
Sweden Changes Law to Make Drones Legal Again
As reported before, in the autumn of 2016, the Swedish Supreme Administrative Court ruled that a camera mounted on a drone is considered a CCTV camera for purposes of the Swedish Camera Monitoring Act. The judgment meant that using a drone equipped with a camera, where the camera will be directed at a place to which the public has access, requires a licence from the County Administrative Board. Continue reading
FAA Will Release Maps to Speed up Drone Authorization Applications
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) plans to release the first set of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) facility maps on April 27. The maps will depict areas and altitudes near airports where UAS may operate safely. Continue reading
NLR Leads European Defence Project for Integration of Drones into Civil Airspace
The Netherlands Aerospace Centre, NLR, recently started working on the European TRAWA project, intended to develop standards for so-called ‘detect and avoid’ (DAA) systems on board drones. Continue reading
FAA Restricts Drone Operations Over Certain Military Bases
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is using its existing authority under Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR) § 99.7 – “Special Security Instructions” – to address national security concerns about unauthorized drone operations over 133 military facilities. Continue reading
FAA 2017 Unmanned Aircraft Systems Symposium
The Federal Aviation Administration’s 2017 Unmanned Aircraft Systems (“UAS”) Symposium opened on March 27, 2017. Through the first two days of the conference, the FAA has focused on its efforts to work with UAS industry stakeholders to facilitate the integration of UAS into the national airspace system (“NAS”). Continue reading