A new federal rule proposed Tuesday would make it easier for companies to use drones over longer distances out of the operator’s sight without having to go through a cumbersome waiver process.
The federal government had already approved 657 waivers to allow companies such as Amazon and major utilities to do this in certain circumstances, but the waiver process made it difficult. The rule would establish a clear process for drone operators to seek approval for using drones this way.
The industry has long pressed for the rule because being able to operate drones out of sight opens up a multitude of possibilities for their use. Being able to do this enables more use of drones for deliveries, inspecting infrastructure like bridges and power lines and other uses in agriculture like spraying fertilizer over thousands of acres on large farms.
“This draft rule is a critical step toward enabling drone operations that will enhance safety, transform commercial services, and strengthen public safety with drones as a force multiplier,” Michael Robbins, president & CEO of the Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International trade group, said in a statement.
Rules spell out when drones can be flown out of sight
The rule spells out the circumstances drones can be used under 400 feet under while working to ensure they don’t disrupt aviation and cause problems around airports, Federal Aviation Administration Administrator Bryan Bedford said. The drones will be required to have collision-avoidance technology to keep them away from planes and other drones. And the rule will only allow drones up to 1,320 pounds — including their payloads.
“The issue hasn’t been that America just can’t innovate, America can’t create, America can’t build amazing drone technology. It’s that we’ve had a bureaucracy in place that makes it incredibly incredibly difficult for innovators to actually innovate,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said.
The rules are designed to address the way modern drones are being used today.
“While the technology has rapidly advanced over the last decade, our regulatory framework in the United States has failed to keep pace,” said Lisa Ellman, CEO of the Commercial Drone Alliance group. “Drone operators must navigate a labyrinth of ill-suited regulations designed for crewed aircraft.”
A rule in the works for years
President Donald Trump issued executive orders in June directing the Transportation Department to quickly get this rule out. The orders also included restrictions meant to help protect against terrorism, espionage and public safety threats.
Drones are already used in a variety of ways, including bolstering search and rescue operations, applying fertilizer, inspecting power lines and railroad bridges, and even delivering packages.
Amazon is one of the companies that received a waiver allowing it to use drones this way for some of its deliveries in College Station, Texas, as it develops the technology. This rule should make it easier for Amazon and other companies to get approval to use drones this way in more communities.
Addressing concerns about safety
The war in Ukraine has highlighted how drones could be used in a military or terrorist attack — a concern as the World Cup and Olympics approach in the U.S. There also have been espionage cases where drones have been used to surveil sensitive sites. And White House officials said drones are being used to smuggle drugs over the border, and there are concerns about the potential for a disastrous collision between a drone and an airliner around an airport.
The FAA consulted with the Department of Homeland Security as it developed this rule to make sure security concerns are addressed. The government will accept comments on the new rule over the next 60 days before finalizing the rule likely sometime later this year. Drone operators will have to go through background checks and be certified to operate drones out of their sight.
Duffy and Bedford said they hope having regulations in place can help prevent problems like earlier this year when a small drone collided with a “Super Scooper” plane that was fighting wildfires raging through Southern California. The drone punched a hole in the plane’s left wing, causing enough damage that officials grounded the aircraft for several days to make repairs.
Authorities tracked down the 56-year-old drone operator, who pleaded guilty to a federal charge of recklessly flying his aircraft. The man admitted he launched his DJI quadcopter to observe fire damage over the Pacific Palisades neighborhood, despite the FAA having restricted drone flying in the area, according to court records. The operator lost sight of the drone after it flew about 1.5 miles from where he had launched it. And that’s when it struck the “Super Scooper.”
This rule applies directly to commercial and recreational drone operators who must apply to be able to fly drones out of sight. People who buy drones on their own and don’t get approval would still be prohibited from doing this.
___
Associated Press writers Dee-Ann Durbin, Rio Yamat and Didi Tang contributed to this report.
___
This story has been updated to correct Lisa Ellman’s first name.
