Five years ago, few people even knew what a drone was. Now, they can be used for any reason: in war, package deliveries, even for toys and sport. Now, the Federal Aviation Administration proposes drone regulations.
These regulation will only apply to drones weighing under 55 pounds. Pilots will need a drone license issued by the TSA. Drone pilots must be minimum 17 years old and be retested for licensing every two years. Drones will be able to fly only in daylight hours and the pilot must always be in sight of the drone. They must fly under 500 feet, be slower than 100 miles an hour and must have viability of over three miles. Drones will no longer be able to fly over people. Drone operators will not have to get a regular pilots license. And if you have a drone you fly over the backyard, don’t worry. These regulations don’t apply to you and your model airplanes.
But I think the FAA is walking a tight rope. On one hand, drones can see and capture everything below them. So drones’ pictures can capture your homes, families, comings and goings, whether you want them to or not. So regulations are needed to protect privacy rights. Plus, what if drones fly so high they get in the way of commercial or helicopter flying? Think of the accidents that could cause. But you also have companies like Amazon using drones to deliver customer orders. I’ve already read articles from Amazon leaders complaining these new rules won’t allow Amazon Prime Air to do business in the United States. And drones have been used in acts of military conflict. Will these rules apply then, even when our troops and/or innocent civilian life is in danger? Keep in mind these regulations are just proposals. Nothing has been signed into law yet. With the potential fallout, will these drone regulations ever make it to law?