The final small UAS rule provides the first national, uniform guidelines for non-recreational operation of drones lighter than 55 pounds, the White House said in a statement. Under the rule, drone flights will be permitted for commercial, scientific, public safety and educational purposes, pursuant to a set of operational and safety requirements.
The new rule, which takes effect in 60 days, will allow unmanned aircraft weighing less than 55 pounds to fly as high as 400 feet and as fast as 100 mph during the day. In the evening, only drones with anti-collision lights will be allowed to operate.
Unmanned aircraft will not be allowed to fly over people under most conditions, and non-recreational remote pilots will be required to pass a written test and go through the same security vetting process as traditional pilots. Operators will continue to be required to keep their aircraft within sight, unless they get a waiver.
The rule also allows unmanned aircraft to operate in sparsely occupied areas without a requirement to coordinate with air traffic control. In more congested areas, the operator will still need Federal Aviation Administration permission to fly.
The restrictions still preclude longer flights to inspect farms, pipelines and utility lines as well as such commercial uses as deliveries by companies like Amazon.com Inc. and Alphabet Inc.'s Google.
FAA Administrator Michael Huerta said the rule establishes a waiver process for certain operations. The FAA's goal for the waiver process is to make it as streamlined as possible, for example, through an online portal. "We do not envision this being a very burdensome process," he said. Individuals or businesses that want to conduct nighttime operations can apply to the FAA for waivers, Huerta said. In doing that, they would need to demonstrate how they are going to ensure safety and visibility for nighttime operations.
What is not subject to waiver, Huerta said, is the maximum weight of 55 pounds, maximum speed of 87 knots or maximum altitude of 400 feet.