FAA Responds To Technology Moving At The Speed of Innovation
On June 28, 2016, the FAA published the highly anticipated set of rules allowing people to begin conducting routine civil small UAS operations. The rule established a new part in the Code of Federal Regulations, 14 CFR part 107 or part 107, containing a remote pilot certification and operating rules for small UAS weighing less than 55 pounds. Under those rules, sUAS operators must either hold a remote pilot certificate or be under the direct supervision of a remote pilot in command.
A new Draft Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) was just released. This is the next step in the FAA’s incremental approach to integrating UAS into the national airspace system (NAS), based on demands for increased operational flexibility and the experience FAA has gained since part 107 was first published. Specifically, this proposal would expand the activities permitted under part 107, allowing operations over people and at night under certain conditions.
This rulemaking would allow operations of small unmanned aircraft over people in certain conditions and operations of small UAS at night without obtaining a waiver. The NPRM goes further proposing to amend the knowledge testing requirements in the rules that apply to small UAS operations, which require training every 24 calendar months. This proposal would be the next phase in integrating small UAS using a risk-based approach. These amendments would allow expanded small UAS operations and reduce the knowledge testing burden on the remote pilot in command certificate holders.
The NPRM is full of other information that is beneficial to 107 pilots, including updates to the recurrent testing procedures.
Click Here to download the entire document.
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below and be ready to supply your voice to this NPRM when its released for comment.
