Remember when all we heard was that "drone deliveries" were right around the corner? Well, now that really IS true. The FAA had taken its own sweet time in establishing rules for piloting. @nerdypursuit @PeteButtigieg #LearnaboutDOT

They finally dropped yesterday and now "corporations and hobbyists alike finally have a set of drone guidelines from the Federal Aviation Administration. The final rules are a step back from some proposed restrictions, as they
will allow flights over crowds and some nighttime

operations. But all drones weighing over 0.55lb will need to have a unique Remote ID, as will smaller drones that are flown over crowds. One proposal that didn't make the final cut would have required Remote ID to connect over the Internet

to a location-tracking database so drone operations could be monitored in real time by the FAA (and law enforcement). The FAA believes that Remote ID, which will locally transmit the location of both drone and "control stations," meets the needs of

national security and law enforcement." https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2020/12/faa-finally-sets-rules-for-piloting-small-drones/

"These final rules carefully address safety, security and privacy concerns while advancing opportunities for innovation and utilization of drone technology," said US Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao in a press release. Sec. Designate Buttigieg $ #USDOT will remain

involved in this area specifically with regard to deliveries. "There have been several tests and limited uses. UPS said last year that it received approval to operate a nationwide fleet of drones and has already

made hundreds of deliveries on a hospital campus in North Carolina.

Also last year, Google sister company Wing Aviation won FAA approval for commercial drone flights in a corner of Virginia."

And this past August, Amazon got similar FAA approval to deliver packages by drones. The company is still testing the service and hasn’t said when shoppers will see deliveries.

For drone supporters impatient with the pace of adoption, regulatory hurdles are a leading complaint. Currently, operators who want to fly a drone over people or at night need a waiver from the FAA.

The new rules will require that drones used at night include flashing lights that can be seen up to three miles away. Operators will need special training. Small drones flying over people cannot have rotating parts capable of cutting skin.

The rules covering flights over people and at night will take effect in about two months. They finalize proposed rules issued last year. All drones that must be registered with the FAA will be required to have equipment that broadcasts their identification, location and control

station or be operated at FAA-recognized areas. So-called remote ID was a requirement impose by Congress at the urging of national security and law enforcement agencies.

Drone manufacturers will have 18 months to begin making drones with remote ID, and operators will have

one year after that to start using drones with remote ID." https://apnews.com/article/amazoncom-inc-stephen-dickson-jeff-bezos-5cf31860dcee51b4f1a31ac115980d89?utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=AP

Here is the current FAA site for Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) https://www.faa.gov/uas/