No night flights for commercial drones!

Dan Jones, Mobile Editor

February 17, 2015

1 Min Read
FAA Lays Out First Proposal for Small Drones

The FAA has put out its long-awaited proposal for how small commercial drones should be regulated in the skies above the US.

The Federal Aviation Authority laid out its proposal for how to regulate unmanned vehicles under 55 pounds this Sunday. These suggestions include:

  • The drone can fly no higher than 500 feet up and no faster than 100MPH.

  • The operator must be able to see the drone and other piloted planes near it.

  • No night flights.

  • The operator must be at least 17 years old and pass an FAA test before flying the drone.

You can read all of the suggestions from the agency here. The public has 60 days to comment on the framework.

Watching the skies? Keep up with our drone coverage on the IoT channel on Light Reading.

The rules laid out in this initial document -- no night flying for instance -- would make it difficult for drones to be used for some communications applications. The FAA, however, has said that it will take a phased approach to how commercial drones are deployed in the US.

— Dan Jones, Mobile Editor, Light Reading

About the Author(s)

Dan Jones

Mobile Editor

Dan is to hats what Will.I.Am is to ridiculous eyewear. Fedora, trilby, tam-o-shanter -- all have graced the Jones pate during his career as the go-to purveyor of mobile essentials.

But hey, Dan is so much more than 4G maps and state-of-the-art headgear. Before joining the Light Reading team in 2002 he was an award-winning cult hit on Broadway (with four 'Toni' awards, two 'Emma' gongs and a 'Brian' to his name) with his one-man show, "Dan Sings the Show Tunes."

His perfectly crafted blogs, falling under the "Jonestown" banner, have been compared to the works of Chekhov. But only by Dan.

He lives in Brooklyn with cats.

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