NZALPA’s American counterpart, US-ALPA, says new regulations proposed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) fall short of what is needed for commercial drone operations, reports ATW Online.
The new regulations, released for public consultation in April, propose a change to the regulations to allow drone flights over people and at night – activities currently prohibited without FAA permission.
To fly drones at night, the FAA proposes that operators should sit a test on night flying, and drones must be fitted with anti-collision lights.
US-ALPA contends that the regulations to certify drone operators do not adequately test if the operator has the skill to commercially operate a drone. This is a particular risk when drones will be flown over people.
The pilots’ union recommends FAA develop comprehensive requirements for commercial small drone pilots “that are more aligned with manned commercial certificate requirements,” including knowledge tests, practical flight evaluations and recurrent flight-training requirements.
US-ALPA also argues that the risk associated with operating drones over people needs to be further considered, and recommends the FAA adopt the minimum separation distances developed by a micro unmanned aircraft system aviation rulemaking committee of 20ft (6.096m). vertically and 10ft (3.048m). laterally away from people.
The FAA is considering submissions and will not allow routine drone flights over people and at night until it completes a separate rulemaking process on remote identification and tracking of drones.
Three tier classification for commercial drone operations
The FAA sought information on safe and secure operations of drones in response to concerns raised by agencies responsible for public safety and national security. It proposed a three-tier classification for commercial drone operations over people based on the risk of injury they present.
Category 1
applies to drones weighing less than 0.55 lb. Because these aircraft pose a low risk of injury, remote pilots would be able to fly them over people subject to Part 107 requirements, with no additional restrictions.
Category 2
applies to drones weighing more than 0.55 lb. with added performance-based requirements. The aircraft must be designed so that if it struck a person, it would not cause an injury as severe as being struck by a rigid object moving at 11 ft./lbs. of kinetic energy.
Category 3
allows for a higher injury threshold than category 2, but reduces the risk of injury through operational limitations. If it struck a person, the aircraft would not cause an injury as severe as being struck by a rigid object moving at 25 ft./lbs. of kinetic energy.
For categories 2 and 3, the drone could not have exposed rotating parts that could lacerate human skin, or identified safety defects.
US-ALPA suggests drones flown under category 1 should not have exposed rotating parts, and that category 3 drones should be restricted to the same kinetic energy value upon impact—11 ft.-lbs.—as category 2 until further studies validate that there is not a higher risk of injury from a higher kinetic energy value.
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