Currently,
all commercial remote controlled aircraft are banned, unless a
specific, rare exception is obtained from the FAA and operators follow a
lengthy list of rules.
Only a handful
of those exemptions have been granted since the first was awarded to
energy giant BP and UAV manufacturer AeroVironment in June for aerial
surveys in Alaska.
"These surveys on
Alaska's North Slope are another important step toward broader
commercial use of unmanned aircraft," Transportation Secretary Anthony
Foxx said in a news release at the time. "The technology is quickly
changing, and the opportunities are growing."
Foxx and FAA Administrator Michael Huerta will announce the new rules during a conference call for reporters.
One
of the most significant challenges facing regulators is how to keep the
small drones away from larger aircraft with people on board.
There have been several close calls where pilots of commercial planes came within feet of UAVs.
"We saw a drone, a drone aircraft," an Alitalia pilot radioed in March as he came in for a landing at JFK airport in New York.
The UAV came within 200 feet of the jetliner as it was flying at 1,750 feet, three miles from the runway, according to the FBI.
It's
unclear how complicated the new requirements for commercial drone use
will be. The FAA would not provide details Saturday evening.
An
apparently prematurely-posted FAA document led some drone advocates to
believe they will be less burdensome than what is now required of the
few operators who received exemptions.
On
January 5, Douglas Trudeau became the first realtor to obtain an FAA
exception to fly a drone to shoot video of houses for sale, but he was
required to follow 33 detailed restrictions laid out in a 26 page
letter.
To legally fly his UAV
,Trudeau must have a regular pilots license, pass an aviation medical
check, be assisted by a spotter, request permission two days in advance,
and limit flights to less than 35 mph and below 300 feet.
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