On June 21, 2016 the FAA posted FINAL Rules for Commercial Drones – to go into effect August 2016.

A summary of the rules are attached here and a full text of the rules follow here.

Overview: You need a certification to operate commercially. Most requirements are waivable. Most require a reasonableness standard.

You will need a certification to operate commercially.  Here are the min. requirements:

• must either hold a remote pilot airman certificate with a small UAS rating or be under the direct supervision of a person who does hold a remote pilot certificate (remote pilot in command).
• To qualify for certificate, a person must either: 
• Pass an initial aeronautical knowledge test at an FAA-approved knowledge testing center; OR
• Hold a part 61 pilot certificate other than student pilot, complete a flight review within the previous 24 months, and complete a small UAS online training course provided by the FAA.
• Be vetted by the Transportation Security Administration.
• Be at least 16 years old

I will attempt to give you a summary of the summary so that you can get a sense of what this first Final set of rules requires.

• 55 lbs all in including packages
• Visual line-of-sight (VLOS) only
• Remain close enough to see the aircraft with vision unaided by any device
• May not operate over any persons other than you, not under a covered structure, and not inside a covered stationary vehicle (imagine that one).
• Day only
• Must yield to other aircraft.
• May use visual observer (VO) – will require further reading to understand.
• First-person view camera cannot satisfy “see-and-avoid” requirement but can be used as long as requirement is satisfied in other ways.
• Max. speed of 100 mph (87 knots).
• Max. altitude of 400 feet above ground within 400 feet of a structure.
• Min. weather visibility of 3 miles
• Operations in Class B, C, D and E airspace are allowed with the required ATC permission.
• Operations in Class G airspace are allowed without ATC permission. •
• No person may act as a remote pilot or for more than one aircraft
• No ops from a moving aircraft or vehicle unless the operation is over a sparsely populated area.
• No careless or reckless operations.
• No carriage of hazardous materials
• Requires preflight inspection – must read full set of rules
• A person may not operate if he or she knows or has reason to know of any physical or mental condition that would interfere with the safe operation of a small UAS.
• Foreign-registered small unmanned aircraft are allowed to operate under part 107 if they satisfy the requirements of part 375.
• External load operations are allowed if the object being carried by the unmanned aircraft is securely attached and does not adversely affect the flight characteristics or controllability of the aircraft.
• Transportation of property for compensation or hire allowed provided that attached systems, payload and cargo weigh less than 55 pounds total;
• The flight is conducted within visual line of sight and not from a moving vehicle or aircraft; and
•  wholly within the bounds of a State and not between (1) Hawaii and another place in Hawaii through airspace outside Hawaii; (2) the District of Columbia and another place in the District of Columbia; or (3) a territory or possession of the United States and another place in the same territory or possession.
• Most of the restrictions discussed above are waivable if the applicant demonstrates that his or her operation can safely be conducted under the terms of a certificate of waiver.

Call me to discuss if your commercial drone project falls within the Final regs and what you must know and do about it. 310-570-2399