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| US drone rules impact Amazon plans | US drone rules impact Amazon plans |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| The Federal Aviation Authority's (FAA) draft rules for the use of drones in US airspace do not permit Amazon to launch its Amazon Air delivery service. | The Federal Aviation Authority's (FAA) draft rules for the use of drones in US airspace do not permit Amazon to launch its Amazon Air delivery service. |
| The draft rules state that pilots must remain within eyesight of their unmanned crafts, although it said it would consider factoring in a second line of sight in some cases. | The draft rules state that pilots must remain within eyesight of their unmanned crafts, although it said it would consider factoring in a second line of sight in some cases. |
| Pilots must also be FAA certified to operate drones. | Pilots must also be FAA certified to operate drones. |
| Amazon said it remained "committed" to its plans for delivery via drone. | Amazon said it remained "committed" to its plans for delivery via drone. |
| "We are committed to realising our vision... and are prepared to deploy where we have the regulatory support we need," said Paul Misener, Amazon's vice-president of global public policy. | |
| The firm had said last year that in terms of the technology required for Amazon Air, it was ready to launch as soon as regulations were in place. | The firm had said last year that in terms of the technology required for Amazon Air, it was ready to launch as soon as regulations were in place. |
| The draft rules will be open to public consultation and are unlikely to come into force for a couple of years. | The draft rules will be open to public consultation and are unlikely to come into force for a couple of years. |
| The Small UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) Coalition, of which Amazon is a member, said it "applauded" the proposed rules, launched yesterday by the FAA, but mentioned several caveats, including relaxing the rule about line of sight. | The Small UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) Coalition, of which Amazon is a member, said it "applauded" the proposed rules, launched yesterday by the FAA, but mentioned several caveats, including relaxing the rule about line of sight. |
| "First Person View technology is available now, and is critical to unleashing the power of automation in this space," the group said in a statement. | "First Person View technology is available now, and is critical to unleashing the power of automation in this space," the group said in a statement. |
| "Until small UAVs are able to go beyond the line of sight, we are not maximising the technology as other companies already do." | "Until small UAVs are able to go beyond the line of sight, we are not maximising the technology as other companies already do." |
| High flying | High flying |
| It also said the proposals should be explicit about whether companies can test drones on private property, and should not limit operation to daylight hours. | It also said the proposals should be explicit about whether companies can test drones on private property, and should not limit operation to daylight hours. |
| The coalition, whose members also include drone manufacturers Dji and Ghost, GoPro and Google's R&D arm Google X, added that the altitude limit of 500 ft ( 152 m) should be raised "with appropriate safeguards". | The coalition, whose members also include drone manufacturers Dji and Ghost, GoPro and Google's R&D arm Google X, added that the altitude limit of 500 ft ( 152 m) should be raised "with appropriate safeguards". |
| China's biggest internet retailer Alibaba trialled drone deliveries inside the country at the beginning of February. | China's biggest internet retailer Alibaba trialled drone deliveries inside the country at the beginning of February. |
| Google has also been testing drone deliveries in Australia, and DHL carried out a delivery by unmanned aircraft in Germany. | Google has also been testing drone deliveries in Australia, and DHL carried out a delivery by unmanned aircraft in Germany. |