I'm trying to:
1. Find the bill that Obama signed into law on Tuesday
2. Decipher the BS contained in the new law (there is sure to be some) and see what it says.
This may (or may not) be the bill in question:
http://republicans.transportation.house.gov/Media/file/112th/Aviation/2012-02-01-Conf-Draft-2.pdf
This is specifically the language in the bill (whether or not my link above is the correct bill) that I'm looking to read over and study:
- Requiring expedited access for public users, such as law enforcement, firefighters, emergency responders
- Allowing first responders to fly very small UAS (4.4lbs or less) within 90 days if they meet certain requirements. The goal is to get law enforcement and firefighters immediate access to start flying small systems to save lives and increase public safety. Although 4.4lbs doesn’t sound like a lot, there are numerous platforms available that meet this requirement.
- Requiring the FAA to study UAS human factors and causes of accidents
Reason: Under certain legal stipulations, and depending on contractual agreements, my company qualifies to provide services as a 'First Responder.'
James Pollock
Bulldog Investigations & Security
Replies
(Sec. 607)
Authorizes the FAA Administrator to:
(1) arrange with the NAS to assess unmanned aircraft systems; and
(2) establish three two-year cost-shared pilot projects in sparsely populated, low-density Class G air traffic airspace new test sites to conduct developmental work and service testing to improve unmanned aircraft for safe integration into the National Airspace System. Authorizes appropriations for FY2010-FY2011. Directs the FAA Administrator to make available on the FAA's website a five-year "roadmap" for introduction of unmanned aircraft systems into the National Airspace System. Prohibits the FAA Administrator from promulgating rules or regulations on model aircraft flown strictly for recreational, sport, competition, or academic purposes, and meeting certain other criteria.
My interpretation is that the UAS pilots who do this for recreation or sport are in the clear from FAA-imposed regulations...for now. For the "other criteria," I hope they take into consideration low-level, close range aerial photography or geo-mapping for businesses. I definitely don't want to have to get ground clearance for snapping pictures for a real estate agent. I honestly can't see the FAA imposing regulations on flights below a certain altitude and within a certain range with small UAVs. I could be wrong, I've seen crazier things the government has done.
#1 - All the versions are here: http://www.opencongress.org/bill/112-h658/show
#2 - As for making sense of it, I'm afraid you'll need to 1) read it and 2) wait to see what the FAA does with it. I don't think there is a lot of "BS", per se, but a lot of the meat you might be after is not so much defined as it is put forward that certain things will be studied and defined.