Concerned that tens of thousands Americans will receive small quadcopters as gifts this holiday season, the FAA and industry have teamed to produce educational materials available on a website and in social media channels in an attempt to prevent potential accidents in the air and on the ground. The action comes as industry awaits the FAA’s first […]
Santa Delivering Drones for Christmas Amid Rising Safety Concern
If you find a drone under the Christmas tree next week, it may also come with a list of U.S. government guidelines for safe flying and even software to keep the device away from airports. Sales of the small, unmanned aircraft are soaring this holiday season, prompting fears that first-time users could accidentally crash […]
Report Advises IA To Wait On Drone Regulation
Iowa should take a wait-and-see approach to regulating unmanned aerial vehicles because of their huge potential for positive uses in business and government, the Iowa Department of Public Safety advises in a new report. The report, requested by lawmakers in May, suggests that existing legal safeguards may suffice for now to protect citizens against the […]
FDA Cancels Study of How it Can Use Drones to Conduct Inspections
Posted 19 December 2014 By Alexander Gaffney, RAC The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is no longer considering the use of aerial drones to help assist its on-site inspections of facilities, less than 24 hours after initially saying feasibility studies were in the works. As first reported by Regulatory Focus, on 16 December 2014 […]
Legal Commercial Drone Use? We’re Inching Closer.
Drones can and are being used in dozens of ways on the farm. Trouble is, the FAA doesn’t strictly find those commercial uses legal, says John Dillard, an associate lawyer at OFW Law. “The FAA’s position is that any kind of commercial operation is only authorized on a case-by-case basis,” he says. “There’s […]
FDA Studying How it Can Use Drones to Conduct Inspections
By Alexander Gaffney, RAC The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is considering the use of aerial drones to help assist its on-site inspections of facilities, the agency confirmed to Regulatory Focus this week. While there is currently “no formal drone program in development,” the agency is currently “conducting preliminary feasibility testing on possible applications […]
The Most Beautiful Drone Travel Videos of 2014
2014 was the year of the aerial drone travel video—here are some of the best of the best By Natasha Geiling – SMITHSONIAN.COM They might have been originally designed for the military, but drones are quickly finding their future in commercial use—from helping conservationists monitor illegal poaching to carrying festive decor in restaurants. They’ve […]
Senator Feinstein Now Using Safety Concerns To Target The Drone Industry
Gregory S. McNeal Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) announced today that she plans to introduce legislation to codify and expand the moratorium on civilian drones. Feinstein, who is well known for her opposition to drones, is premising her legislation on alleged safety concerns — she previously used alleged privacy concerns to justify her policy positions. In […]
This Just In: Broadcasters Studying How They Can Use Unmanned Aircraft
by Brett Davis Although they still can’t legally use unmanned aircraft for news reporting, at least in the United States, broadcasters are increasingly interested in the technology and are getting serious about figuring out how best to use it, according to speakers at a NewsTECH conference in New York. CNN is partnering with Georgia Tech […]
Private Drones Being Regulated Out of the Sky
By Drew Harwell Dont’ have a pilot license? Don’t think about it. One of America’s most popular consumer drones, the DJI Phantom 2, is surprisingly cheap, lightweight and easy to fly, and lots of wedding photographers, farmers and real estate agents now depend on it for eyes in the sky. But federal rules could soon […]