FAA adopts Small Unmanned Aircraft Rule

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has adopted the first operational rules for routine use of small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), on 21 June 2016. These new rules establish safety regulations for UAS weighing less than 55 pounds that are conducting non-hobbyist operations. They may open the pathways towards fully integrating UAS into the U.S. airspace.

According to FAA Administrator Michael Huerta, the FAA is “taking a careful deliberate approach that balances the need to deploy this new technology with the FAA’s mission to protect public safety”. Industry estimates provide that the operational rules could generate more than $82 billion for the U.S. economy and create more than 100,000 new jobs over the next 10 years.

An official summary of the Small Unmanned Aircraft Rule is available under

faa.gov