On Feb. 15, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has
released its long-awaited notice of proposed rules with respect to
unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). Once finalized, the proposed rules
will replace the current almost-universal ban on flying UAS for
commercial purposes with a protocol for authorizing operations for
commercial flights of small UAS weighing up to 55 pounds.
The new rules limit unmanned flight to daylight and
visual-line-of-sight operations in addition to addressing height
restrictions, operator certification, optional use of a visual
observer, aircraft registration and marking, and operational
limits.
Several precision agriculture companies have already received
authorization from the FAA to use unmanned aircraft prior to the
announcement of the proposed rule through a lengthy petition
process. Those companies employ unmanned aircraft to conduct
precision photogrammetry and crop scouting. The data collected from
the UAS can direct variable
