In June 2016, the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA), which has jurisdiction over the United States of America, implemented its small unmanned aircraft system (sUAS) regulations, which will come into effect in late August.
Commonly referred to as drones, under the new operational rules, drone pilots must be at least 16 years old or be supervised by an adult with a remote pilot certificate. The pilot must also maintain “visual line of sight” with the drone at all times, shouldn’t operate over people who aren’t directly participating in the operation and drones can operate in the evening only if the aircraft carries lights visible for three miles.
Don’t these regulations sound familiar?
Most of the new restrictions can be waived, however, but pilots will need to apply directly to the FAA for an exemption and/or a waiver.
“We wanted to make sure we’re striking the right balance between innovation and safety,” said Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx.
But what does this mean for the Aviation industry?
In America alone, The Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International, a trade group, projects 70,000 jobs and $13.6 billion in economic impact will be created in the U.S. within three years of drones being allowed to fully share the skies.
There are a lot of concerns that have been raised by the community around collisions bringing down manned aircrafts with even worried about how all the regulations will be monitored. But, reaction to the new rules have been mostly positive.
What does RocketMine think?
The implementation of the rules will have a similar impact as when South Africa implemented its regulations. Researchers, companies, and rescue services will now take more interest in looking into how drones can help them increase operational efficiency and lower costs at the same time.
With the barriers of entry to the market broken down, more operators will be able to showcase their services providing more competition for existing commercial operators meaning that everyone will have to lower their prices to stay competitive.
For more information on FAA drone regulations or RocketMine’s insight into the drone industry, contact us