‘US regulators release draft rules for commercial drone operators ...’ - Financial Times, February 15
Ha! So much for Amazon’s plans to fill the skies with a drone dispatch army. I take it you weren’t keen on receiving pizza deliveries by air drop either, then?
Not really. And, hopefully, the US Federal Aviation Administration’s ruling on commercial drones use will make it impossible for Amazon to pull it off.
You’re right. The proposed rules, published by the FAA, limit commercial drone use to a maximum of 150 metres above ground level and stop them being flown over people’s heads or in the dark.
Most importantly, they limit drone use to so-called “line of sight” operation, meaning operators must be able to see their unmanned aircraft in the air to be compliant with US law. That’s the part of the ruling that’s likely to inhibit remote package delivery for the likes of Amazon.
I just hope it nips the prospect of drone smog in the bud.
The US has been dragging its heels when it comes to regulation. In Europe, the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority has had a sensible framework in place for years. In fact, most drone experts say they can’t believe it’s taken the US this long to come up with a basic copy of the British laws.
Well, better to take your time and do the job properly than rush into poorly constructed regulation. Sure, but it can also be costly if you regulate too slowly. For example, the lack of a clear regulatory framework in the US left many commercial operations in the dark about what would and would not be seen as compliant once the rules were set out.
That compromised their ability to insure their businesses and encouraged them to move to Europe, where the rules were clearer. Nobody wants to invest much in a business that might find itself on the wrong side of the law if and when regulators do choose to act.
So how come there are so many drones around in the US? You can’t go a week without reading how one fell on someone’s head or violated a celebrity’s privacy.
True. But they’re probably being operated by hobbyists whose use of drones is not constrained by any specific regulations — unlike those who use them for commercial purposes. In fact, the unregulated nature of the US market, and the long-term lack of commercial guidelines, has encouraged some commercial operators to abuse the “hobbyist loophole” — whereby you claim if caught operating your drones for business purposes that you are actually merely doing it for your own entertainment.
Given the risks associated with flying drones — let’s face it, you don’t want one landing anywhere near your face — legal experts say it’s surprising that the market has managed to avoid a high-profile public liability case.
But, now we’ve got the rules, the market can thankfully evolve in a coordinated and sensible manner. And I’m still mighty pleased it removes the possibility of long-distance Amazon drone drops any time soon.
Most experts would say the Prime Air service being pitched by Amazon has always been more about the promotional value of making outlandish technological promises. If that’s true, the company’s public disappointment at the FAA ruling might be considered a gimmick.
The truth is that the technology is nowhere near the point where sizeable payloads can be delivered safely or reliably, especially in densely populated or built-up areas. For Amazon, the new rules in some ways provide a useful excuse as to why the hype won’t be matching reality any time soon.
So who does stand to benefit from the proposals?
As things stand, the most popular use of commercial drones is in television and film production, aerial mapping and industrial inspection. Since most of these services require skilled operators on site anyway, the rules requiring operators to be in full view of their drones won’t inhibit them. An unexpected side effect might even be that there will be more demand for skilled drone operators, something that could lead to significant job creation in the US in the long term.
Doesn’t that slightly defy the “unmanned” point of “unmanned aerial vehicles”?
Perhaps. But the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems says 70,000 jobs could be created over the next three years if drones are integrated into the US economy this way — not necessarily a bad thing in the current jobs market.
— Financial Times
