New FAA Drone Regulations are cleared for take-off! Part 107

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The FAA is planning on releasing Part 107 this Tuesday, June 21st (this is what was said at AUVSI but the FAA could change this). Part 107 provides for individuals to obtain their “Remote Pilot Certificate.” This is interesting as the NPRM called them “operators” but the FAA changed the term to “pilot” now. The big distinction now will be whether you are a Part 61 pilot or a Part 107 pilot.

Part 107 will provide a certificate as well as operating rules for drone operators who do not fall into Section 336 to operate their aircraft in the national airspace. The two main groups that will benefit will be the commercial drone operators and public sector operators.

A large majority of the drone operators will fall into Part 107 which will be line of sight, under 55 pounds, daylight, less than 100 MPH, and below 400ft; however this is not a complete fix for everyone. Keep reading below to see what will not be covered by 107

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FAA 333 Approved

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We are proud to announce the approval of FAA 333 Exemption to operate Umanned Aircraft System (UAS) to

  • Conduct aerial data collection
  • Closed-set film and television production
  • Flight instruction
  • Repair and build testing
  • Advertising
  • Research and development
  • Demonstrations
  • Market surveys.

Exemption No. 13567
Regulatory Docket No. FAA–2015–3174

FAA B4UFLY Smartphone App

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B4UFLY Smartphone App

B4UFLY is a simple, easy-to-use smartphone app that users will be able to access before they operate their unmanned aircraft to determine whether there are any restrictions or requirements in effect at the location where they want to fly. The FAA announced the app at the 2015 Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International Unmanned Systems Conference in Atlanta, Georgia. The agency plans to release the app to approximately 1,000 beta testers during summer 2015.

This limited beta test is expected to run for several months, after which the FAA plans to make B4UFLY available for the general public. The initial release is planned for iOS devices only, with an Android version to follow.

Key features of the B4UFLY app include:

  • A clear “status” indicator that immediately informs the operator about their current or planned location. For example, it shows flying in the Special Flight Rules Area around Washington, DC is prohibited
  • Information on the parameters that drive the status indicator
  • A “Planner Mode” for future flights in different locations
  • Informative, interactive maps with filtering options
  • Contact information for nearby airports
  • Links to other FAA UAS resources and regulatory information.

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