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New Commercial Drone Rules go into Effect
USAgNet - 08/30/2016

There will be 600,000 commercial droneaircraft operating in the U.S. within the year as the result of new safety rules that opened the skies to them on Monday, according to a Federal Aviation Administration estimate. The rules governing the operation of small commercial drones were designed to protect safety without stifling innovation, FAA Administrator Michael Huerta told a news conference.

Commercial operators initially complained that the new rules would be too rigid. The agency responded by creating a system to grant exemptions to some of the rules for companies that show they can operate safely, Huerta said.

On the first day the rules were in effect the FAA had already granted 76 exemptions, most of them to companies that want to fly drones at night, Huerta said.

In general, the new rules apply to drones weighing 55 pounds or less, and require commercial operators to keep the drone within sight at all times and limiting operations to the hours from a half-hour before sunrise to a half-hour after sunset.

Operators must limit speed of their drones to no more than 100 mph. and no higher than 400 feet.

Users must also pass a test of their aeronautical knowledge administered by the FAA. More than 3,000 people had registered with the FAA to take the test as of Monday.


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