According to the Wall Street Journal the proposed FFA rules will require a pilots license for commercial use of "drones".
Drone flights face FAA hit
http://on.wsj.com/15aQPns
Stupid.
If you don't need a pilot's license to run one for your own enjoyment, one shouldn't be required if the only difference is someone paying you.
I'm not against some regulations, but this is overkill.
You have a copy of the article. It won't let me read the whole thing.
It would not surprise me if the license consists of spending a certain amount of time on-line watching a slide show on drone safety, then taking a multiple choice test (also on-line). You will probably have to log on and list your registered drones.
As with most licenses, it is probably mainly to establish liability which may be tied to a specific drone.
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[sarcasm]Authorities remove the drone from the front windshield of a mini-van. A smart phone is used to scan the barcode revealing the business address of a Mr. T. Young. Since this is the second time Mr. Young has operated his drone negligently, his ability to make a living using the drone has been revoked for a period of 2 years.[/sarcasm]
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I wonder if the 400' ceiling is too limiting for commercial purposes?
Here's a discussion from a couple days ago:
Its my understanding that they are referring to the same license needed to fly manned aircraft.
I imagine when the FAA is thinking commercial drones, they are thinking along the lines of these types of drones that will have a larger payload capacity and longer flight times, not your $1,000 quad copter with a camera mounted.
Another beauty
I can understand requiring a pilot's license for those.
However, to require them for something you can hold in one hand is ridiculous.
Here is how they are dealing with this in Australia.
I can't read the WSJ site, but it was my understanding that the rules would require different licenses based on different criteria, such as size, weight, range, autonomous flights vs. controlled, etc ... I hope that is still the case.
If you don't need a license to operate an ultralight, I don't see how the FAA can require a license for a small UAV.
Check out the new Inspire 1! I have pre-ordered!
Hey Thad,
I preordered an Inspire also!
It is inaccurate to refer to an sUAS as a "drone"... we're not doing ourselves any favors by using imprecise terminology. Some drones like the Predator are as large or nearly as large as manned aircraft and have similar flight characteristics. Obviously the Predator is a military craft but civilian aircraft of similar size that operate at higher speeds and altitudes probably will and probably should require a pilot's license to be flown. An sUAS like a quadcopter or Trimble UX5 that operates under 500' AGL and below 80 knots isn't going to fall into the same category.
I think that part of the current dilemma at the FAA is categorizing the different classifications of craft and coming up with rules that are sensible for each classification.
