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FAA taking comments on proposed UAV rules

uav-national peanut boardFarmers who want to use UAVS—unmanned aerial vehicles—in their operations have until April 24th to comment on the FAA’s proposed rules on the use of unmanned aircraft systems.

One of the big concerns with that proposal is the visual line-of-sight requirement. It says that operators must maintain visual contact with aircraft and imposes a flight ceiling of 500 feet above ground level.

Wayne Woldt, a biological systems engineer at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, has been researching UAVs for precision ag applications. Woldt says he would be very surprised if the FAA relaxes the visual line-of-sight requirement at this early stage.

“I don’t doubt that at some point in time in the future it will be relaxed as technology evolves and proven capabilities are brought on-line that can help with what’s called ‘de-conflicting the airspace’. In other words, avoiding collisions in the airspace,” Woldt says. “But for now, I think we’re going to be stuck with visual line-of-sight.”

Woldt says the proposed rules also do not address privacy issues such as the misuse of UAVS for surveillance activities. He says that is outside of the FAA’s jurisdiction and must be addressed with local authorities.

AUDIO: Wayne Woldt

To submit a comment on the proposed FAA regulations, click here.

Photo courtesy National Peanut Board

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