Drone use could skyrocket after the FAA changes this rule
Today, almost anyone who flies a drone must maintain visual contact with it at all times, a practice known as visual line of sight. This requirement severely restricts how far craft can fly. When the Federal Aviation Administration rule changes allowing people to fly their drones beyond visual line of sight are finalized, commercial use is likely to soar. Flight beyond visual line of sight will fundamentally change drone operations, allowing for a wide range of applications. Imagine a drone flying well ahead of a train to ensure the tracks are safe, or large drones monitoring and spraying vast farm fields, improving farm efficiency and reducing labor costs. Drones, formally called unmanned aircraft systems, or UAS, are being used or developed for a wide variety of applications, such as inspecting pipelines, assessing forests for potential wildfires, finding people needing rescue, assessing disaster damage, monitoring borders and ports, and surveying wildlife and the environment. There is also an emerging industry for using drones to deliver packages—everything from transplant organs to fast food meals. Companies have been working on these kinds of applications for drones for years, but as a mechanical engineer who studies drones, I see that a combination of technological and regulatory developments are bringing them close to fruition. People could be allowed to fly drones beyond visual line of sight, beyond the few exemptions to current rules, within a year. But a key step is integrating drones into the National Airspace System. Keeping control in uncontrolled airspace The National Airspace System comprises controlled and uncontrolled airspace. Air traffic controllers guide planes through controlled airspace, which includes areas around airports, above urban regions and along air routes. Rules cover basic flight aspects of all craft, such as altitude and aircraft separation, and flight paths near or over airports. Drone operators who want to fly in these regions mus