The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is taking a few more steps forward in regulating drones for both consumer and commercial purposes. Two initiatives have been launched by the FAA, with one involving the testing of drones beyond line of sight, and the other being a mobile app that aims to educate potential drone pilots on where they can fly their unmanned aircraft safely.
The “Pathfinder” commercial trials involves partnerships with three companies, designed to test systems to manage a drone’s flight at a distance. CNN’s existing drone partnership will be used to focus on “visual line-of-sight operations in urban areas,” while drone producer PrecisionHawk will test visual line-of-sight operations for rural locations, more specifically for crop monitoring. The third, BSNF Railroad, will deal with “beyond visual line-of-sight in rural/isolated areas,” with the aim of employing the drones to inspect the rail system.
PrecisionHawk ‘Lancaster’ Drone
While the finer details of BSNF’s drone plans have yet to be acknowledged, CNET reports PrecisionHawk will be testing a Low Altitude Tracking and Avoidance System (LATAS) that can be used to manage traffic. Ground-based hardware and transponders on the aircraft will be used to monitor the drone’s position and movement, in order to keep it from impacting the ground or other nearby structures.
If the FAA relaxes the rules concerning line of sight, it is likely to significantly boost the efforts to create a drone delivery service. Amazon has fought repeatedly to test its drones, though the line of sight restrictions makes drone deliveries further afield effectively impossible, with favorable changes in regulations able to make the drone-based service more likely to become a reality.
The new app, “B4UFLY,” will tell users whether it is safe and legal to fly in their current or planned location. The app will include a status indicator for specific locations, information on restrictions active in the area, a “planner” for future flights in different locations, various map filtering options, as well as contact information for nearby airports and ways to find more FAA regulatory information.
The FAA will be testing the app for a few months before releasing it to the public, with an iOS set to be released first followed by an Android version.
