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Ready for a spy in the sky? Panel says FAA should expand commercial drone flights. Ready for a spy in the sky? Panel says FAA should expand commercial drone flights.
(about 3 hours later)
A federally-commissioned panel has recommended that commercially-operated small drones be allowed to fly over populated areas, a proposal that would clear the way for dozens of uses, including package delivery service being considered by several companies. A federally-commissioned panel on Wednesday recommended that commercially-operated small drones be allowed to fly over populated areas, a proposal that would clear the way for dozens of uses, including filming parades, inspecting towers and tracking movement on construction sites.
Drones would be required to fly at least 20 feet above people and never come within 10 feet of them if approaching from a lateral direction. Most drones would be required to fly at least 20 feet above people and never come within 10 feet of them during take off and landing.
To date, the Federal Aviation Administration has banned routine commercial drone flights over people who are not a party to the drone’s operations. The FAA is not bound to follow the recommendations of the panel that it created, a coalition of stakeholders that includes drone manufacturers, firms that fly them, commercial and private pilots, and airports.To date, the Federal Aviation Administration has banned routine commercial drone flights over people who are not a party to the drone’s operations. The FAA is not bound to follow the recommendations of the panel that it created, a coalition of stakeholders that includes drone manufacturers, firms that fly them, commercial and private pilots, and airports.
In addition to those who want to provide package delivery, the FAA prohibition on commercial overflights of people has frustrated construction firms that want to monitor their work sites, news organizations eager to use them for news coverage and companies that would use them to inspect things like cellular towers before sending workers up to repair them. The FAA prohibition on commercial overflights of people has frustrated construction firms that want to monitor their work sites, news organizations eager to use them for news coverage and companies that would use them to inspect things like cellular towers before sending workers up to repair them.
The FAA’s caution in restricting drone use grew from fears they would invade privacy or pose a risk to airplanes in flight. Pilots reported hundreds of close calls with drones last year.The FAA’s caution in restricting drone use grew from fears they would invade privacy or pose a risk to airplanes in flight. Pilots reported hundreds of close calls with drones last year.
[FAA records detail hundreds of close calls between airplanes and drones][FAA records detail hundreds of close calls between airplanes and drones]
The recommendations obtained by the Associated Press in advance of their release Wednesday after noon show that panel proposes dividing drones allowed to fly over people into four categories. The FAA has been under pressure from Congress to expedite drone regulations as annual sales of the unmanned aircraft are expected to grow from 2.5 million this year to 7 million in 2020. The FAA already requires that they be registered, and lawmakers have proposed that their owners pass a mandatory online test before flying,
Those that weight about half a pound or less would be permitted to fly over people without restriction if their manufacturer certified that there would be no more than a 1 percent chance that serious injury would result if they hit someone. The FAA already has one set of proposed regulations open for public comment, and the recommendations outlined Wednesday will be considered by the agency and put out for comment shortly.
Three types of heavier drones would be required to fly at least 20 feet above people or keep a lateral distance of at least 10 feet. In recommendations released Wednesday, the panel proposes dividing into four categories the drones allowed to fly over people.
Among the companies considering package delivery service by drone is Amazon. The company’s chief executive Jeff Bezos owns the Washington Post. Those that weigh about half a pound or less would be permitted to fly over people without restriction if their manufacturer certified that there would be no more than a 1 percent chance that serious injury would result if they hit someone.
Heavier drones would be required to fly at least 20 feet above people or keep a lateral distance of at least 10 feet.
“That gives the operator and the person time to react should anything go wrong,” said Nancy Egan, a panel member and general counsel of drone manufacturer 3DRobtics. “The 10-feet lateral was really to clear takeoff space, so if you’re around people you don’t take off within 2 feet of them, you don’t fly nose-to-nose with a person.”
Manufacturers would be required to test their products to determine how seriously they would injure someone.
“Think like the crash tests the automotive [industry does], when you see the car with the dummy in it and they hit the wall,” said Earl Lawrence, the FAA’s director for Unmanned Systems Integration.
Lawrence said similar tests have been conducted with aircraft in the past.
“Picture a UAS being slammed into a plate that has sensors in it. Force measurements would be made, and if they were lower than the limits that have been established by medical research to not cause a serious injury, then it passed the test,” he said.
The industry would certify to the FAA that its drone had passed the test. The panel recommended that drones be labeled by category so operators would know what restrictions applied.
“Letting people know what they can and cannot do with a particular drone is very important and there will be industry standards,” Egan said.
The panel’s work was complicated because drones differ not just in weight, but in size as well. A five pound drone carrying a heavy camera may be equal in weight to a larger drone carrying lighter equipment. But the impact, if each of them hit a human, might differ.
As a result, the potential damage a done could do was seen by the panel as the decisive factor.
A drone determined to fall in category 2 is allowed to perform above people if its operator observes the 20-foot and 10-foot rules. A third category would be restricted to closed locations, like a construction site, movie set or farm field. The fourth category would require a risk mitigation plan, a specified flight path and a more highly-credentialed person at the controls.
The FAA rule-making proposal already out for public comment would require that the aircraft weigh less than 55 pounds. The operator would be required to be able to see the drone at all times. Drones would be restricted to flying during daylight hours and required to keep clear of other manned or unmanned aircraft. Their use around airports would be prohibited, and operators would have to contact air traffic controllers if they sought to fly in the vicinity of airplane flight paths.