If you are planning to fly a drone in the US, you will want to pay attention: the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has just issued the biggest single changes to US drone law since the agency first became interested in technology has. . With the right license, you will soon be able to fly at night and over people. But the biggest change is this: in 2023, it may be illegal to fly some drones at all unless you customize it with their own broadcasting equipment.
In 2022, the US government will need every new mass-produced drone weighing 0.25 kg to broadcast your location – and I mean your location, not just the location of your drone. You will also broadcast an identification number that law enforcement can cross-reference with your registration number, as well as the speed and altitude of your drone.
It’s all part of a new “Remote ID” standard designed to give the FAA and law enforcement a grip on what is actually flying around in the air, and it’s logical that we want something like this, given the current system only requires you to slap a sticker on your drone that no one can see as it flies through the air. In this way, law enforcers can theoretically find out who is dangerous with a given drone and turn them off.
But the Remote ID rule doesn’t just apply to brand new drones: in 2023; it would be illegal to fly your existing drones without the same broadcast. There is no grandfather clause for older drones, no exemption for home-built racing drones, and it does not matter if you fly it for fun or even just fly indoors. You must install it with a new broadcast module or fly only in a specially designated drone flight zone, called “FAA-recognized identification area”, according to the new rules. Such areas do not yet exist – the FAA will accept applications for the new zones in 2022.
It is also noteworthy that the FAA does not say exactly how or how far these drones have to broadcast their identity, and it is largely left to manufacturers to figure out the best way to do this over the next 18 months, that is when new drones sold in the US have to comply with it. “At the moment, no FAA approval has been granted,” a spokesman wrote.
For a DJI-style drone that already has a lot of technology and is already connected to your smartphone, it could theoretically be as easy as sending an additional signal from time to time, but it depends on what the FAA decides to do. finally approve. DJI did not want to comment on this story, which makes me wonder if there is not a crease.
It is noteworthy that DJI did not have the original FAA proposal, which may have required every drone to broadcast their Remote ID over the Internet, but that the final rules explicitly do not require an Internet connection, and suggest that manufacturers simply can use short distance. Bluetooth or Wi-Fi.
Here’s the self-flying drone maker Skydio’s statement: “We are reviewing the FAA’s new rule on remote identification, which will take effect in about 30 months. There is no immediate impact on Skydio customers. We work closely with the FAA and take steps to ensure that our current and future products will be in line with the new framework. ”
If it is difficult to add these broadcasts. or if people worry about their location, it could change the way drones are made and sold. Companies like DJI are already trying to keep a few drones below the 0.55 pound weight limit so that buyers do not have to legally register with the FAA. Now more drones are likely to follow, and manufacturers of cheaper flying toys may also think twice about crossing the weight limit. Even racing bumblebees designed to shed as much weight as possible may need to include a possible remote ID transmitter in their build.
And just because you have a remote ID transmitter does not mean you can keep an eye on your drone. The Visual Line of Sight rule still applies. “Persons using a drone with a remote ID broadcast module must be able to see their drone at all times during flight,” wrote an FAA spokesman, who also confirmed that The edge that there is no exemption for drones. ‘[FAA-Recognized Identification Areas] is the only place where unmanned aircraft (drones and radio-controlled aircraft models) may operate without transmitting remote-controlled ID message elements without other authorization from the FAA, ”they write.
If you’re a professional, licensed drone operator, there’s a lot of intriguing and long-awaited news today along with the Remote ID rule: the FAA has decided to finally allow you to fly drones over people, at night and in some cases even on moving vehicles without applying for a special exemption.
To fly at night, you need additional training and anti-collision lights “that can be seen for three miles and have a flash sufficient to prevent a collision.” Flying over people depends on how dangerous your drone is in terms of weight and sharp propeller blades. There are four categories of drones:
Small unmanned aircraft eligible for category 1 must weigh less than 0.55, including everything on board or otherwise attached, and contain no exposed rotating parts that would tear human skin. No FAA Accepted Compliance (MOC) or Declaration of Compliance (DOC) is required.
Category 2 qualifying small unmanned aerial vehicles shall not cause a human injury equal to or greater than the severity of the injury caused by a transfer of kinetic energy of 11 feet after the impact of a rigid object, and contains no exposed rotation, parts that can tear the human skin when it touches a human, and contains no safety defects. Requires FAA-accepted means of compliance and FAA-accepted declaration of compliance.
Category 3 qualifying small unmanned aerial vehicles shall not cause injury to a person equal to or greater than the severity of the injury caused by a transfer of kinetic energy from 25 foot-pounds to a rigid object, and contains no exposed rotation, parts that can tear the human skin when it touches a human, and contains no safety defects. Requires FAA-accepted means of compliance and FAA-accepted declaration of compliance.
Small unmanned aircraft eligible for Category 4 must have a certificate of airworthiness issued under Part 21 of the FAA Regulations. Must be operated according to the operating restrictions specified in the approved flight manual or as otherwise specified by the administrator. The operating restrictions may not prohibit operations on humans. Must have maintenance, preventative maintenance, alterations or inspections carried out according to specific requirements in the final rule.
You can not fly a small Category 1 or Category 2 drone over people unless there is a remote ID transmitter, while Category 3 cannot be flown over ‘open air congregations of people’, only private areas where people covered under structures or were warned that a drone would fly over. Regardless, you need a Part 107 permit to fly at night or over people, which means you have to take a test and get a license. These specific rules will take effect in about two months.
Here is the executive summary of the FAA (PDF) on people’s flying and the full text of the Remote ID rule (PDF) so you can read for yourself. The FAA has dealt with a lot of public comments and suggestions in this, so it’s worth reading if you’re wondering why they chose to do it this way.