DoT and FAA has issued relaxed rules for commercial drone

Really excited to read last week that the DoT and FAA has issued relaxed rules for commercial drone use (https://www.faa.gov/news/press_releases/news_story.cfm?newsId=20515). By no means have all the problems – and potential problems – been sorted out. But greater clarity helps those of us who use drones get closer to solving those issues. Some top provisions:

• Operator must be 16 years and older with a remote pilot certificate (with a small UAS rating, testing available at an FAA Knowledge Testing Center – we have one right here in Auburn, CA)

• Operate no higher than 400 feet

• Daylight hours only, must always be in sight of the operator

Something interesting for privacy advocates: flights are prohibited over unprotected persons who are not a part of your drone activities – to a large degree, operators will still have to use equal parts common sense and human decency 😉

Mark R. Hughes, VP of Business Development and Strategic Initiatives at VERSA Engineering and Technology, on working with Bill Rolland

Mark R. Hughes, VP of Business Development and Strategic Initiatives at VERSA Engineering and Technology, on working with Bill Rolland to create impactful imagery.