The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Sunday released its long-awaited set of proposals for regulating the use of small drones for commercial purposes in order to set a fixed plan for smooth flying of these remote-controlled aircrafts while sharing the sky path with passenger planes.
The US aviation regulator proposed set of rules for those desirous to fly commercial drones, which includes a special pilot certificate, staying away from bystanders and flying only during the day-time.
The long-awaited FAA’s draft rule for governing drones also proposes imposing limits on speed to 100 mph. Moreover, the proposed rules suggest flying the aircraft at an altitude below 500 feet above ground level and less than 100 miles an hour.
The proposal said that the federal agency would allow flying of only those drones weighing up to 55 pounds and are within the sight of their remote pilots during daytime.
FAA Administrator Michael Huerta said, “We have tried to be flexible in writing these rules. We want to maintain today’s outstanding level of aviation safety without placing an undue regulatory burden on an emerging industry.”
Meanwhile, the industry experts termed FAA’s draft rules as relatively ‘benign’, saying it lacks arduous pilot qualifications standards that could have restricted the flying of small drones from commercial purposes.
The federal agency has sought public comment on its proposal for commercial drones within 60 days. The industry experts, however, expect the feedback analysis could take around18 months or longer before the proposed rules are finalized.
In another development, President Barack Obama on Sunday signed a presidential memorandum that governs how federal agencies will be using drones of all sizes.
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