U.S. drone rules expected to be in place for early 2016

The Federal Aviation Administration of the U.S. is expected to have regulations in place to cover small drones early next year, as the issue becomes a matter of urgency as their use becomes more prolific.

Currently, a pilot’s certificate is needed to be exempt from the federal ban. The new regulations as drawn would require simply a written test and a vetting. Meanwhile, over 1,100 exemptions to the ban have been issued so far by the FAA.

Dangerous

The FAA has reported a steep increase in the number of drones flying at dangerous altitudes that could put them on a collision course with manned planes. There were 650 sightings of drones by pilots in 2015 to August 9^th, compared to 238 reported sightings for the entirety of 2014. Source: Chron

Robotics

Drones are one of the main subjects of the Robotics Law Journal, which has just been launched. If you would like free access to a copy of the first issue, please email the editor at: [email protected]