FAA Proposes Commercial Drone Rules As White House Issues Executive Order

Charles Tobin and Charles Naftalin are Partners and Joel Roberson and Jameson Rice are Associates in the Washington D.C. office

Pending Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Rules Would Ease Some Restrictions; Privacy to Be Addressed with Stakeholder Input

HIGHLIGHTS:

• A pilot's license would no longer be required to operate a UAS under the proposed rulemaking.
• The visual line of sight requirement and daylight operation restriction would remain under the proposed rulemaking.
• President Obama requires his administration and stakeholders to develop privacy, accountability and transparency best practices for UAS use.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) released its long-awaited Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on Sunday, Feb. 15, 2015 for the commercial use of small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), commonly referred to as "drones." The NPRM will be published in the Federal Register in the coming days and will provide a 60-day public comment period.