FAA Reauthorization Act

The Commercial UAV Policy Panel (The new drone policy era ahead – How FAA Reauthorization will impact your business) was one of the most informing panels, I attended during DJI’s Airworks 2018. It provided an update and perspective of what commercial drone operators can expect now that the FAA Reauthorization Act has been signed into law. The panel consisted of some heavyweights from the drone industry, including three lawyers and a few pilots. All of them, experts on the subject matter.

I tried to capture the entire session on camera but unfortunately missed a little bit at the beginning and towards the end due to battery switching, full memory cards, etc. Either way, if you are a commercial drone operator and want to find out what the latest is, I highly recommend watching the video below.

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Today, President Trump signed the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018. In a public statement, the FAA says that this establishes new conditions for the recreational use of drones. It also means that Section 336, the Special Rule for Model Aircraft is repealed effective immediately. Although the FAA admits that the Act ‘cannot be fully implemented immediately’ and therefor advices you to ‘follow all current policies and guidance’ when it comes to flying drones recreationally.

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The Alliance for Drone Innovation (ADI) issued a statement to let the world know that they are thrilled with the final passage of the 2018 FAA Reauthorization Act. They thanked and congratulated the House and Senate for working ‘tirelessly together’ to pass legislation that provides ‘a long-term FAA authorization.’ The alliance consists of many well-known industry players such as Chinese drone-maker DJI, GoPro, FatShark, 3DR, Parrot, Kittyhawk, and others. The alliance was started earlier this year and interestingly enough, GoPro is part of the group even though they have exited the drone business after their Karma drone failed proved unsuccessful.

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With a 93-6 vote, the Senate passed the H.R. 302, the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 today. After six extensions that kept the FAA’s funding at a level first set in 2012, it now has funding in place for the next five years. After the Senate vote, the Act moves on to the White House for President Trump to sign it into law. It brings many changes to the general aviation industry as well as to the drone industry specifically. We have included a summary of the changes in this post.

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Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA) is urging its members to contact their congressional representatives to vote against the latest version of the FAA Reauthorization Bill of 2018. According to the AMA, the bill includes adjustments to Section 336 (the Special Rule for Model Aircraft) that will create burdensome restrictions on the use of model aircraft. The Senate will be voting on the bill this week.

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