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The FAA has issued 5 additional exemptions for UAS use in the US NAS. You can find these exemptions here:

For Woolpert, Inc.:

Exemption 1

Exemption 2

For Video Global:

Exemption

For Trimble:

Exemption

For Clayco:

Exemption

House Hearing

Also of note, the House Subcommittee on Aviation held a hearing this morning regarding the status of UAS integration this morning. There is a lot of interesting dialog, and I suggest reviewing the archive here:

House Hearing

 

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Comments

  • If there is anything that pisses me off its exemptions for certain parties and no bid contracts! 

  • check out http://www.caniflyadrone.com to see where you are in relation to US airstrips before you fly. Includes all class a and b airstrips, as wwellel as maps in the USA

  • @Todd  They want to make sure if you are using the airspace in a commercial venture you know 1) Airspace and how its used by other aircraft. The rc hobby guy doesn't know that. 2) understands the procedures and limitations commercial aircraft have in emergency situations. 3) if you have a commercial ticket you are vested into the aviation community and will be "professional" in flying your uav just like when you fly your real scale craft. Because if you do something stupid with the uav you it will effect your commercial rating. 

    I don't have a problem with it. If you read all the fine print you still have to jump through hoops for legally being able to fly. Like letting your local FSDO know where and when you are flying 3 days ahead of schedule. That alone is a pain if you are really doing lots of business. 

    But lets face it I don't think they should let just anyone fly around willy nilly especially this FPV stuff. 

    The FAA is making it as difficult as they can as per the usual FAA thinking. Trust me this is an experiment and they could pull those exemptions anytime they want and make these companies re apply for whatever rule changes they make. Its typical for the FAA.

  • Exemptions for companys who are working with big oil and then they use terrible political buzz words like global warming should inherently be questioned and investigated. 

    If we know two things, big oil is where money is, it is almost by itself, outside the military industrial complex, no one is going to get in the way of those handouts. Second, the government is absolutely corrupted. 

    It really comes down to trust.

    Here we have companies bidding the government for basically contracts. Although thats almost all most anything is, is contracts, but if there is any conspiracy towards any of the exempt companies, look  to those who have stock in said companies. Who is setup to gain.

    This doesnt seem like a conspiracy however;

    Government is absolutely notorious for giving exemptions to conflicts of interest. Without a doubt the government should always be questioned.

    But if someone has decided to pay you for doing some areal photography over private land, the FAA has about as much right  to know, if its for commercial use, as much as they have a right to know the number I am thinking in my head.

  • Tom, Agreed, however I am talking about the hobbyist flying his quad and shooting pictures, vs the commercial guy shooting his pictures. The only difference is that one is making money and one is not. 

  • Moderator

    Another example of your FAA at work building for the future by allowing only big business to access the skies.  

  • This part is puzzling: "15. The Pilot In Command (PIC) must possess at least a commercial pilot certificate and at least a current second-class medical certificate. The PIC must also meet the flight review requirements specified in 14 CFR 61.56 in an aircraft in which the PIC is rated on his or her pilot certificate."
  • There are certainly different levels of safety. A passenger jet pilot takes precautions that no hobbyist would dream of.
  • A couple of questions, not sure why one would have to be a private pilot to fly a UAV commercially? I believe they are two different skill sets. Second, safety is safety, whether you are flying commercially or recreationally. To try and separate the two does not make sense. You are either flying or you are not, regardless of if you are taking pictures to sell or you are taking pictures to give as gifts.

  • Read any one of those exemption documents I you'd like to understand just how much the FAA puts safety ahead of all other concerns. It's quite an enlightening read. 

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