Drone use poised to soar as FAA homes in on rule change allowing pilots to fly them out of sight
AI Analysis
The FAA is nearing a rule change allowing Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) drone operations, which is expected to significantly expand commercial drone use. This change will unlock applications ranging from infrastructure inspection to package delivery and agricultural monitoring. Integration into the National Airspace System (NAS) remains a key challenge, with differing regulations for controlled and uncontrolled airspace.
Key Takeaways
- Current FAA regulations require drones to remain within visual line of sight, limiting operational range.
- BVLOS capability will enable applications like infrastructure inspection, precision agriculture, and long-range delivery.
- The NAS is categorized as controlled (ATC managed) and uncontrolled airspace, each with distinct operational rules for drones.
- Current restrictions in uncontrolled airspace include altitude limits (400ft), weight limits (55lbs), daylight-only operation, and proximity restrictions to airports (5 miles).
- Successful integration of drones into the NAS is crucial for realizing the full potential of BVLOS operations.
Why It Matters
Expanded drone operations, enabled by BVLOS flight, represent a growing domain for potential military applications, including reconnaissance, logistics, and border security. The development of robust sense-and-avoid technologies and airspace management systems will be critical to mitigating risks associated with increased drone traffic. This regulatory shift will also drive innovation in counter-UAS technologies to address potential threats.
Drone use poised to soar as FAA homes in on rule change allowing pilots to fly them out of sight
Companies large and small are gearing up to deliver packages to you via drone. AP Photo/Charlie Riedel
Today, almost anyone who flies a drone must maintain visual contact with it at all times, a practice known as visual line of sight. This requirement severely restricts how far craft can fly. When the Federal Aviation Administration rule changes allowing people to fly their drones beyond visual line of sight are finalized, commercial use is likely to soar.
Flight beyond visual line of sight will fundamentally change drone operations, allowing for a wide range of applications. Imagine a drone flying well ahead of a train to ensure the tracks are safe, or large drones monitoring and spraying vast farm fields, improving farm efficiency and reducing labor costs.
Drones, formally called unmanned aircraft systems, or UAS, are being used or developed for a wide variety of applications, such as inspecting pipelines, assessing forests for potential wildfire, finding people needing rescue, assessing disaster damage, monitoring borders and ports, and surveying wildlife and the environment. There is also an emerging industry for using drones to deliver packages– everything from transplant organs to fast food meals.
A drone company worker loads a package for delivery into a drone’s cargo bay. AP Photo/Charlie Riedel
Companies have been working on these kinds of applications for drones for years, but as a mechanical engineer who studies drones, I see that a combination of technological and regulatory developments are bringing them close to fruition. People could be allowed to fly drones beyond visual line of sight, beyond the few exemptions to current rules, within a year. But a key step is integrating drones into the National Airspace System.
Keeping control in uncontrolled airspace
The National Airspace System comprises controlled and uncontrolled airspace. Air traffic controllers guide planes through controlled airspace, which includes areas around airports, above urban regions and along air routes. Rules cover basic flight aspects of all craft, such as altitude and aircraft separation, and flight paths near or over airports. Drone operators who want to fly in these regions must receive formal FAA authorization for any flight, which also dictates flight paths.
In uncontrolled airspace, air traffic control does not provide services; pilots are responsible for their own navigation and collision avoidance. In these typically rural regions, recreational operators must keep drones below 400 feet and in their line of sight. Other restrictions apply as well: Drones cannot weigh more than 55 pounds, including any payload such as packages, and they must operate only during daylight and with minimum visibility of 3 miles due to weather. Maximum speed relative to the ground is 100 mph, and drones cannot operate within 5 miles of an airport.
In all circumstance