Four companies won approval Wednesday to fly commercial
drones to conduct aerial surveys, monitor construction sites and inspect oil
flare stacks, the Federal Aviation Administration announced. The exemptions for
Trimble Navigation Limited, VDOS Global, Clayco Inc. and Woolpert Inc. come as
the FAA drafts comprehensive regulations for drones to share the skies with
passenger planes.
Michael Toscano, CEO of the Association for Unmanned Vehicle
Systems International, called the FAA action a positive step, but that the
agency needs to complete its regulations to allow broader use of drones. A
House committee is holding a hearing Wednesday on the development of drone
regulations.
The latest approvals follow seven in September to film and
video companies. The first commercial drone permit over land came in June, when
BP oil company and drone manufacturer Aero-Vironment were approved to fly
aerial surveys over Alaska's North Slope.
But the developing industry, with high-profile members such
as Amazon studying drones for package deliveries, is eager to expand commercial
uses. The FAA has received 167 applications for commercial uses.
The FAA is expected to release a proposal by the end of year
for general use of commercial drones that weigh up to 55 pounds. But the
proposal is expected to generate enormous public comment and could take months
or years to be approved.
In a letter this week to the FAA, Amazon said its indoor
testing of drones must now move outdoors to practice in real-world conditions.
Paul Misener, the company's vice president of global public policy, said the
company might move its research abroad.
The FAA has been developing rules for drones since Congress
set a deadline of September 2015. The agency set up six experimental sites
across the country to learn more about how they operate.
The key safety element is to prevent drones from colliding
with other aircraft, or with people on the ground. That means ensuring ways for
other aircraft to detect and avoid drones, and for drones to land safely if
they lose contact with remote pilots.
Up to now, hobbyists could fly drones close to the ground,
and researchers or public-safety groups could ask for special permission to fly
higher or in riskier situations.
According to their FAA applications:
• Trimble's UX5 drone weighs 5.5 pounds and performs
precision aerial surveys by taking digital photographs.
• VDOS plans to fly Aeryon SkyRanger drones to inspect flare
stacks for Shell Oil in the Gulf of Mexico.
• Clayco plans to fly Skycatch multi-rotor drones to survey
construction sites.
• Woolpert plans to fly Altavian Nova Block III drones,
which weigh 15 pounds and are 5 feet long with a 9-foot wing span, to map rural
Ohio.
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