UAS Operators See FAA Rule Backlash

A story in Monday's Wall Street Journal (subscription required)says the FAA's proposed rulemaking on commercial use of unmanned aerial systems will face so much backlash that it could take years to enact. Citing unnamed sources, the Journal says the big sticking point will be the requirement for a private pilot certificate for commercial UAS pilots. There's also angst that the rule will cover all UASs weighing less than 55 pounds, even tiny handheld models that potentially have commercial applications. The FAA announced last week that it intends to have the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) ready by the end of the year and knowledge of its details is apparently spreading and causing controversy.

While some aviation groups support the FAA's cautious approach, the UAS industry is predicting major backlash, possibly led by UAS adopters like Amazon and Google, who want to use small UASs for package delivery, at least at first. "I feel like there's a colossal mess coming," Michael Drobec, executive director of the Small UAV Coalition, of which both Amazon and Google are members. He said the rule as he understands it is "so divorced from the technology and the aspirations of this industry that we're going to see a loud rejection." Other countries are taking a much more liberal attitude toward UAS operations. As we reported earlier, Canada has opened up much of the country to line-of-sight small UAS use without direct oversight and created a huge test site for more advanced systems designed to be flown beyond line of sight.