People who want to operate a drone for public safety and commercial purposes are required to get a license or certificate through the Federal Aviation Administration.
Some of the regulations state that an operator cannot fly more than one drone at a time and cannot fly one near manned aircraft or “in a manner that interferes with operations and traffic patterns at any airport, heliport or seaplane base,” according to the FAA’s website.
“Safely integrating drones into the National Airspace System is a key priority for the FAA,” said Jillian Angeline, FAA public affairs specialist. “Public safety agencies may operate as public aircraft through Certificates of Waiver or Authorization (COAs) or may operate as civil aircraft under Part 107 (guidelines). Operators are responsible for following all regulations and all provisions in their COA or waiver.”
Civilians who want to fly drones for commercial purposes must be certified under Part 107 and register their drone, Angeline said. Part 107 is a list of rules that govern the use of small, unmanned aircraft systems.
The law also requires civilians who want to fly drones for recreational purposes to take The Recreational UAS Safety Test (TRUST) and carry proof of test passage when flying.
Angeline said there were more than 790,000 registered drones in the country as of Oct. 1. More than 387,000 were registered for recreational purposes, and 396,000 were registered for commercial purposes.
Drone operators who conduct unsafe or unauthorized operations face fines of up to $75,000 per violation. The FAA also can suspend or revoke drone operators’ pilot certificates.
More information on how to become a certified remote pilot is available at faa.gov.