home Aviation Security Aircraft Security FAA proposes new UAS regulation

FAA proposes new UAS regulation

Feb 19, 2015

This post is also available in: עברית (Hebrew)

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) published a framework of regulations allowing routine use of certain small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) in the national aviation system. The rules accommodate future technological innovations. The new rules also propose operating limitations designed to minimize risks to other aircraft and people and property on the ground:

A small UAS operator must always see and avoid manned aircraft. If there is a risk of collision, the UAS operator must be the first to maneuver away.
The operator must discontinue the flight when continuing would pose a hazard to other aircraft, people or property.
A small UAS operator must assess weather conditions, airspace restrictions and the location of people to lessen risks if he or she loses control of the UAS.
A small UAS may not fly over people, except those directly involved with the flight.
Flights should be limited to 500 feet altitude and no faster than 100 mph.
Operators must stay out of airport flight paths and restricted airspace areas, and obey any FAA Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFRs). The proposed rule maintains the existing prohibition against operating in a careless or reckless manner. It also would bar an operator from allowing any object to be dropped from the UAS.

The FAA proposal offers safety rules for small UAS under 55 pounds conducting non-recreational operations. The rule would limit flights to daylight and visual-line-of-sight operations, as well as address height restrictions, operator certification, optional use of a visual observer, aircraft registration and marking, and operational limits.

“We have tried to be flexible in writing these rules,” FAA Administrator Michael Huerta told intelligent-aerospace. “We want to maintain today’s outstanding level of aviation safety without placing an undue regulatory burden on an emerging industry.”

The proposed rule would require an operator to maintain visual line of sight of a small UAS. The FAA is asking for comments on whether the rules should permit operations beyond line of sight, and if so, what the appropriate limits should be.

“FAA achieves critical milestone with proposed rule on commercial UAV use,” President and CEO of the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI), Brian Wynne said. Wynne calls the FAA’s proposed rule for small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) “a good first step” to allow commercial use of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), also known as drones.

AUVSI was one of the founding members of “Know Before You Fly”, a safety campaign aimed at new and ongoing unmanned aircraft users. FAA Administrator Michael Huerta highlighted the campaign when he and Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx unveiled the proposed small UAS rules.