Drones, Part 107, And Pending Section 333 Exemptions

On June 21, 2016, the FAA released what is known as Part 107, which are the FAA's rules regulating the commercial operation of drones weighing less than 55 pounds. Before the issuance of these new rules, however, a person seeking to fly a drone for commercial purposes was required to petition the FAA for authorization. In particular, there were three ways to lawfully conduct drone operations: (1) as public aircraft operations pursuant to the requirements of the public aircraft statute and under a Certificate of Waiver or Authorization (COA) from the FAA; (2) as limited commercial operations by type certificated drone, provided the operator obtains a COA from the FAA; or (3) pursuant to Section 333 of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act (FMRA) grant of exemption provided the operator obtains a COA from the FAA.