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Federal Aviation Administration

FAA studies drones flying over urban areas

Bart Jansen
USA TODAY
The Yamaha RMax unmanned helicopter takes flight during a demonstration of its aerial application capabilities at the University of California-Davis' Oakville Station test vineyard in Oakville, Calif., on Oct. 15, 2014.

A new Federal Aviation Administration program announced Wednesday will test expanded use of drones for commercial purposes, including flying over urban areas and over distances farther than the pilot can see.

"Integrating unmanned aircraft into our airspace is a big job, but it's one the FAA is determined to get right," agency administrator Michael Huerta told the Unmanned Systems 2015 conference in Atlanta sponsored by the Association of Unmanned Vehicle Systems International.

"We anticipate receiving valuable data from each of these trials that could result in FAA-approved operations in the new few years," Huerta said.

The Pathfinder projects include:

• CNN testing how drones can be used for newsgathering in urban areas.

• PrecisionHawk, a drone manufacturer, exploring flights over agriculture. The aircraft will test tracking and a system for drones and planes to remain aware of each other in flight to avoid collisions.

• BNSF Railroad testing command and control of drones inspecting the rail system.

"We're pleased to see the FAA recognize the need to keep the U.S. competitive with other countries who are also interested in this technology," said Brian Wynne, CEO of the trade group AUVSI.

The new research comes as the FAA sifts through 4,500 comments for its proposed rules for drones weighing up to 55 pounds to fly within sight of the remote-control pilot during the day. The rules are expected to be completed in late 2016.

But industry advocates say that FAA still needs to allow drones to fly farther than the pilot can see, fly at night and ultimately fly under automated instructions in order to get the most use out of them for utility inspection, agriculture and deliveries.

Officials from Amazon and Google, which are developing drones to make deliveries, each said during the conference that FAA seems to be more flexible in collaborating with the industry.

Dave Vos, who heads Google X's Project Wing developing delivery drones, said Tuesday that he had been concerned about how much progress could be made in the U.S., but that regulatory attitudes seemed to change.

"What we're seeing today is significant opportunity work here in the U.S. with the FAA," he said.

While comprehensive rules are being developed, the FAA has granted 248 special exemptions for drones to be used for specific purposes that Congress set, such as moviemaking and utility inspection.

The FAA crossed a threshold Friday by approving a Yamaha's use of a drone for agriculture, both for monitoring crops and delivering water or fertilizer.

A Yamaha official had urged approval at a Senate hearing because they have been successful in Japan for 20 years, but not allowed in the U.S. until now.

Yamaha's drone called RMAX looks like a 9-foot-long helicopter with a rotor 10 feet in diameter. It weighs 141 pounds and can carry 60 pounds, making it far heavier than the FAA's rules proposal would govern. A trained pilot guides the drone about 12 mph over crops to inspect plants or deliver water or fertilizer.

Jim Williams, who oversees drone regulations at FAA, was asked at the conference whether he's easing up on drone restrictions.

"The FAA takes a risk-based approach," Williams said. "As different operations mature, we understand the risks better and we can move forward."

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