The Federal Aviation Administration released a statement last week proposing new rules governing the use of drones.
The proposal states the operator must maintain visual contact with the drone and must yield to other aircraft if the situation permits. Drones are not allowed to fly over 500 ft. or more than 100mph and they are not allowed to fly over people — presumably so they can’t drop anything on us. Drones must stay out of airport flight paths.
The new rules dictate that drone operators must be at least 17 years old and pass an aeronautical knowledge test to obtain an Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) operator certificate.
The rules will only apply to the commercial use of drones although many of the same regulations for private drone use have been in place for a while.
“We have tried to be flexible in writing these rules,” said FAA Administrator Michael Huerta in the statement. “We want to maintain today’s outstanding level of aviation safety without placing an undue regulatory burden on an emerging industry.”
Along with the proposal, the FAA opened a 60 day period for public comment.
