This is the week the FAA’s Remote ID requirement for drones went into full effect in the United States. “Wait a minute . . .” I can hear you saying. “The Remote ID rules went into effect back in September last year, didn’t...more
The FAA has just updated its policy statement regarding the legal considerations applicable to state and local regulation of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS). Originally issued in 2015, the FAA “fact sheet” was intended to...more
We are fast approaching the date when unmanned aircraft flown in the United States will have to be equipped for remote identification. One of the few exceptions to this requirement applies to UAS operated within...more
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has just released a 55-page report containing a series of recommendation for improving the FAA’s integration of drones into the National Airspace System (NAS). In conducting this...more
The day when Urban Air Mobility will transition from dream to reality is fast approaching. A number of eVTOL aircraft are in the final stages of certification. Designs for vertiports are being finalized, and the supporting...more
For the past ten years, Congress has attempted to establish a framework for how model aircraft and recreations flyers of unmanned aircraft should operate in the national airspace system. Through the FAA Reauthorization Act...more
The FAA’s remote identification rules for unmanned aircraft (Remote ID) are back on track. The United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit has just rejected the last serious challenge to the...more
Counter-drone technology is being developed and deployed by governmental agencies at an increasing rate. In light of this, the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and its Subcommittee on Aviation requested...more
Routine Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) operations for unmanned aircraft took a major step forward yesterday, with the release of the long-awaited report from the Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC) tasked with making...more
For the first time, a federal grand jury has indicted an individual for the crime for shooting down a drone with a gun. Recently, the United States Attorney’s office for the Middle District of Florida announced that it would...more
Now that the UAS flight over people and remote ID rules are in effect, the pathways are opening up for more complex, and potentially dangerous, UAS operations. The FAA, however, is not the only governmental body concerned...more
The new unmanned aircraft rules regarding remote identification and flight over persons are finally in effect, as of April 21, 2021. The final versions of these rules were released by the FAA on December 28, 2020, and...more
In a new decision, the Michigan Court of Appeals has held that when it comes to privacy and aerial surveillance, a landowner has a greatly enhanced expectation of privacy when unmanned aircraft are involved. The decision,...more
3/29/2021
/ Airspace ,
Appeals ,
Audio Recording ,
Drones ,
Fourth Amendment ,
Photographs ,
Popular ,
Privacy Concerns ,
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Surveillance ,
Unmanned Aircraft Systems ,
Video ,
Warrants
Over the past six years, there has been growing support in Congress for stripping the Federal Aviation Administration of some of its authority over the lower levels of the national airspace system. For example, the FAA...more
We would like to thank everyone who was able to join us for the live presentation of the latest Aviation Webinar Series, “Remote Identification of Unmanned Aircraft and Flight Over People – The Final Rules.”
We are...more
The FAA has kept its word. As promised, the FAA has released the final versions of its rules for Remote Identification of Unmanned Aircraft, for Flight of UAS Over People, and for UAS Night Operations. These rulemakings...more
Back in 2018, the Congress tasked the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) with studying the role that state and local governments should play in the regulation of unmanned aircraft and the lower levels of the National...more
In a long awaited move, the interagency working group responsible for coordinating drone defense policy has issued guidance to the public about what they can and cannot do to combat unauthorized drone use. The guidance,...more
A growing number of nations have been successfully, but slowly, pushing both the technological and regulatory boundaries of advanced UAS operations. These national pilot programs have taken the first steps towards beyond...more
One of the great innovations of the Part 107 regulations for unmanned aircraft was the ability to obtain a waiver from many of its more restrictive requirements. The Part 107 waiver process allows operators the flexibility to...more
The future of drones is finally here! After an 18 month delay, the FAA has released a draft of the new rules for remote identification of unmanned aircraft. The draft rule weighs in at over 300 pages, and provides a...more
The manned and unmanned aviation communities do not see eye-to-eye on any number of issues. Each side has a vision of how unmanned aircraft fit into the National Airspace System, and each side continually engages with the FAA...more
It’s a question asked by kids (and backseat drivers) everywhere. In the case of the remote identification of drones, the driver is the FAA, and the Congress, as always, is in the back seat.
Congress has the authority to...more
As most readers know, the lack of a standard for the remote identification of unmanned aircraft has held up progress in a number of areas critical for integration of UAS into the national airspace system. Rules for flight...more