The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) already has rules for flying drones. Yesterday, they added some more. Let me introduce simple rules for flying drones.
This rules limit drone flying to daylight hours only. Drone operators will be required to get certified every other year. There are just two of the new rules. The FAA’s new rule book is 624 pages. That tells us there’s a lot more where that came from. Drones weighing under 55 pounds must stay below 400 feet at all times. Drones must stay within the owner or observer’s site at all times. Drone pilots must be at least 16 years old. Before flying a drone, potential owners must pass an aeronautical test. This isn’t just a one time test. They must retake and pass the test every 24 months. They must pass a TSA background check. Drones are a huge trend today. During the 2015 Christmas season, nearly 1 million were sold in the United States. They’re drone clubs and groups. The Academy of Model Aeronautics include 188,000 drone enthusiasts. ?Businesses and corporations embrace drone technology. Amazon, Google and Walmart dream to deliver packages by drones. By June 8, 2016, more than 464,000 drone operators were registered by the FAA. Some of these operators have multiple drones.
This is what worries pilots and officials. More individuals own drones. Businesses test drones for delivers. By 2020, drone deliveries will create 70,000 jobs and over 13 billion dollars in US profit. Government agencies and airline unions have been screaming for stricter rules for drones. They worry about interference with aircraft. There are instances of crashes and collisions with aircraft. But drone enthusiasts insist those instances are few and far between. I hope it stays that way. No…change that. I hope we don’t have any collisions at all. I like drones. Personally, they’re fun to fly around. I hope they create jobs and revenue for the country. We need the jobs and revenue. But we don’t need tragedies because of drone collisions, or drone and airplane collisions. What do you think of these new rules? Are they too strict? Are they too lenient? Or are they just right?