FAA Proposes Rules For Small Commercial Unmanned Aircraft Systems Or Drones

Aviation

Action Item: As a step towards integrating commercial Unmanned Aircraft Systems ("UAS") flights into U.S. airspace, the Federal Aviation Administration ("FAA") has released its long-awaited Notice of Proposed Rulemaking ("NPRM") concerning commercial use of small UAS ("sUAS")—popularly known as drones. 14 C.F.R. Part 107.

The rules were published in the Federal Register on February 23, 2015, with a 60-day public comment period ending on April 24, 2015. Extensive comments are expected on the proposal, which has already elicited public controversy and therefore, we expect the FAA will likely take two to three years to issue final rules. Until the final rule is published, the FAA will continue to process Part 333 exemption requests to permit otherwise prohibited commercial UAS flights. Further, these sUAS rules do not apply to model aircraft used for hobby or recreational purposes.