1 Sep 2016

Part 107: The new face of US drone regulation

It’s official. The United States has UAV specific regulation which enables licensing of small commercial UAS operators. These new rules which were announced earlier this summer went into place on August 29th.

What does this mean for US operators?

Commercial operators in the states no longer need to hold a pilot license nor wait 5-7 MONTHS to receive their operating certificate called an Exemption 333.

Now, commercial operators can be certified under Federal Aviation Regulation Part 107. This requires you to be at least 16, pass a written exam, and be vetted by the Transportation Security Administration to obtain their Remote Pilot Certificate. Along with this, there are requirements for recurrent training every 24 months and specific reporting and pre-flight procedural checks.

Although the FAA is the only approved administrator of the exam, there are many preparatory courses based on the knowledge requirements found here.

What does this mean for Canadian operators?

Unfortunately, our days of being a regulatory leader are over- for now. With Transport Canada being responsible for not just aviation but also marine, rail and road, it’s no wonder they’re a bit slower to action than their US counterparts.

It is unlikely the US regulation change will affect the Canadian timeline. One would assume all available resources have delegated to this task since the need to implement long term solutions was
realized.

If you’re planning on taking your aircraft with you on your next trip to the US, click here to find out what you need to know.