Legal

The UK’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has issued a safety warning to UK drone pilots using the DJI Matrice 200. The adaptable platform is used for industrial inspections, search and rescue missions, mapping and more. It has a maximum take-off weight of 6.14KG and can be used with a variety of …

H.R. 302, the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018, became Public Law No. 115- 254 on October 5, 2018.  The FAA Reauthorization Act repealed Section 336, which protected recreational drones from new regulations.  An aeronautical knowledge test and new requirements are in store for hobby flyers – but when will these …

The European Commission (Commission) published it’s latest draft of detailed drone rules last week.   Here’s what’s inside: and why the Drone Manufacturers Alliance Europe (DMAE) is on board. The Commission’s latest draft implementing rules for operational and technical requirements builds on EASA recommendations, and proposes a groundwork that will …

The new proposed FAA Reauthorization package has been made public.  It’s wordy, complex, and confusing – and the headlines haven’t made understanding what’s inside easier.  There are several points of critical importance for the drone industry to understand.  The proposed Repeal of Section 336, the Integration Pilot Program, the “Safeguarding …

The Consumer Technology Association, a trade group representing the $351 billion U.S. consumer technology industry, is backing recently proposed FAA Reauthorization legislation for UAS. As noted by DroneLife Editor-in-Chief Miriam McNabb, “the proposed Repeal of Section 336, the Integration Pilot Program, the “Safeguarding the Skies” Act, the enforcement of drone laws and …

In an InterDrone panel moderated by the excellent Christopher Korody, author of the Dronin’ On newsletter, a panel of lawyers, industry, and government representatives discussed the current state of commercial drone regulations in the U.S. Referencing the recently released FAA Roadmap for commercial drone integration, Korody compared the current landscape …

In recent years there have been plenty of headlines highlighting the use of drones to smuggle drugs and other contraband into prisons. And that’s fair enough. It’s a new, interesting challenge for authorities to deal with. And fear gets clicks. Last year in the UK, for example, police monitored and …

There are two universal truths in the drone industry. The first is that technology companies will file rafts of drone-related patents in an attempt to score easy PR and cover even the most obscure bases for the future. The second is that tech workers need the occasional caffeine hit from …

We’re not quite at the stage at which drones are taking an active role in day to day agriculture. Despite hardware releases from DJI and other manufacturers with a view to autonomously sowing seeds and dispensing pesticides, most drone applications on the farm are more passive in nature: field mapping, …

If there was ever a time to participate in discussions of drone policy, that time is now.  AUVSI issued an announcement this week about their annual “Hill Day.”  If you’ve thought about attending before, this is the year to do it. The following is from the AUVSI announcement: This annual …