Commercial drone operations could take flight on a large scale by this time next year, according to a Reuters report. FAA Deputy Administrator Michael Whitaker told a Congressional committee the agency expects to finalize its regulations within the next 12 months. Previous forecasts had anticipated rules by the end of 2016 or the beginning of 2017.
“The rule will be in place within a year,” Whitaker said in testimony before the U.S. House of Representatives Oversight and Government Reform Committee. “Hopefully before June 17, 2016.”
Does anyone else find it ironic that this happened in a year but the Third Class medical reform languishes?
Not really – follow the money.
GA is marginalized and dying. Drones rule….
In Tampa, a prominent real-estate company has a paid program on a local radio station. They’ve sepent a lot of air time pushing their drone videos of properties. When a pilot called in pointing out that drones are flight hazards, they blew him off.
Interesting to say the least…members of the Emerald Coast Board of Realtors in the Panhandle of Florida have told me that the ECBR has advised them NOT to hire drone services because the FAA has not approved the use of drones for commercial use…so how is it that realtors in South Florida can fly drones for their business? Where is the loop hole? We’d like to capture video and stills for realtors here too.