DRONES: What are the rules of flying?

modelclubflying

BY ALEX GROVES

Sweeping aerial views, descents into rugged canyons and swift yet steady movements across landscapes – these are just some of the sights captured by camera drones.

The unmanned aircraft have produced captivating video and provided hours of fun for operators. In the process, they have swelled into a niche market, becoming one of the hottest-selling tech items in the country.

But they also have created headaches.

They have been a serious issue for pilots, who have had close calls during firefighting aerial drops and airport landings. Social media posts about privacy invasions – real and perceived – plus news stories about vigilantes destroying bothersome drones have highlighted other problem areas for the aircraft.

Harry Horlock, a 93-year-old drone enthusiast, said he can understand the pull and fun of flying a drone. Yet people need to take a commonsense approach when operating them, he said.

“It’s up to each individual,” he said. “They’ve got to use their own head.”

A member of the Temecula Valley Flyers, Horlock flies drones because he said they are easier to use than fixed-wing model aircraft. He said he flies them in a field near Temecula Valley Wine Country and even keeps his flight limited to certain areas of the field that are away from parking lots and other traffic.

The rapid growth of drones has outstripped the rules and etiquette governing them. But hobbyist organizations and government agencies are catching up.

One thing appears certain: Drones are here to stay.

Scot Demmer, a partner in Corona-based drone company PMG Multi-Rotors, said his company has seen at least a 1,000 percent sales growth in the last year.

“In the past two years, it’s been a significant increase in awareness and purchases,” Demmer said.

With their proliferation, legislators in both Sacramento and Washington are trying to adopt laws and rules to govern activities. A number of bills have been introduced already.

Some would determine how closely drones can hover near homes and other structures. Some call for penalties for flying into active police and fire scenes. Others would allow first responders to knock drones out of the sky.

One includes a call for “geofencing” technology – software that would program drones to turn around when approaching restricted flying areas.

“I truly believe the recreational people are not trying to stop us from firefighting,” said Lucas Spelman, a fire captain for the Riverside County Fire Department. “I think they just don’t realize they’re inhibiting one of our best tools.”

Those tools include aerial tankers, which were grounded in the recent North and Lake fires when drones were spotted in the area.

Spelman said drone users need to use one rule of thumb when there’s a fire: Keep the drones grounded.

“If any of our aircraft come in contact with one of those, they could be damaged or actually brought down,” Spelman said.

He added that he hopes as time goes forward, the need to keep drones away from fire will become more clear and there will be fewer instances of grounded planes.

http://www.pe.com/articles/drones-776422-drone-one.html

Feds approve 1,000 applications for drone flights

The Federal Aviation Administration has approved 1,000 applications for nonmilitary drone flights.

The exemptions were granted this week under a section of federal law that allows the Transportation Department to wave requirements for FAA approval for drone flights that are operated outside of restricted airspace and below 200 feet.

The FAA said in a statement that the exemptions were part of a “continuing effort to safely expand and support commercial unmanned aircraft operations in U.S. airspace.”

“Companies and individuals from a broad spectrum of industries are taking advantage of the Section 333 exemption process,” the agency said.”Many of the grants the FAA has issued allow aerial filming for uses such as motion picture production, precision agriculture and real estate photography,” the FAA statement continued. “The agency also has issued grants for new and novel approaches to inspecting power distribution towers and wiring, railroad infrastructure and bridges.”

The FAA is in the process of developing regulations for allowing a rapid expansion of the use of commercial drones in the U.S.

The agency has faced tremendous pressure to approve such an expansion of nonmilitary drone use from companies such as Amazon, who have said the technology can be used to make speedier online deliveries.

Police and other law enforcement groups were also seeking approval to use the technology, and the FAA has investigated several drone incidents that occurred in conjunction with photography at college and professional sporting events.

The section of law that allows the FAA to grant drone exemptions gives the Transportation Department the authority to drop a requirement that operators of the technology apply for a certificate of airworthiness that is normally required for flights that are formally considered an aircraft.

The definition of drones as aircraft under the FAA’s proposed rules has riled recreational operators of the devices who consider themselves hobbyists instead of pilots.

The FAA’s rules define small drones as devices that weigh less than 55 pounds and require them to be operated at heights that are less than 500 feet and speeds that are less than 100 miles per hour.

The regulations also call for drone flights to be limited to daytime hours and conducted only by U.S. residents who are older than 17. Drone operators are also prohibited under the FAA proposal from conducting flights that take the devices out of their line of vision — a big blow to companies like Amazon that have touted the possibility of using the technology to conduct deliveries.

The rules make drone operators responsible for avoiding collisions with manned aircraft that are in the same airspace as the devices, and prohibit drone flights that “fly over people, except those directly involved with the flight.”

The FAA said this week that it has streamlined the exemption process for the drone rules “to make it easier for operators to access the nation’s airspace.

“In March, the agency began issuing ‘blanket’ Certificates of Waiver or Authorization (COAs) to Section 333 exemption holders,” the agency said.

“This COA allows flights anywhere in the country at or below 200 feet except in restricted airspace, close to airports, and other areas, such as major cities where the FAA prohibits UAS operations,” the FAA continued. “Previously, an operator had to apply for and receive a COA for a particular block of airspace, a process that can take as long as 60 days.”