If you intend to fly a drone in the United States, pay attention: the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has just issued the largest set of changes to the US drone law since the agency became interested in the technology. . With the proper license, you will soon be able to fly at night and over people. But the biggest change is this: in 2023, it may be illegal for you to fly some drones absolutely unless you adapt them with your own transmission equipment.
In 2022, the U.S. government will require each new mass-produced drone weighing more than 0.55 pounds (0.25 kg) to transmit its location – and I mean its location, not just the location of your drone. You will also transmit an identification number that the police can cross with your registration number, as well as the speed and altitude of the drone.
It’s all part of a new “remote ID” standard designed to give the FAA and law enforcement authorities what is really flying in the skies, and it makes sense that we might want something like that, given that the current system only requires you to slap it a sticker on your drone that no one will be able to see while it’s flying. That way, the police can theoretically find out who is flying dangerously with any drone and turn it off.
But the remote ID rule doesn’t just apply to new drones: in 2023; it will be illegal to fly your existing drones without the same transmission. There is no seniority clause for older drones, no exemption for home-built racing drones, and it doesn’t matter if you are flying for fun or just indoors. You will need to adapt it with a new transmission module or just fly it in a specially designated drone flight zone, called the “FAA Recognized Identification Area”, according to the new rules. There are no such areas yet – the FAA will accept applications for the new zones in 2022.
It is also worth noting that the FAA is not saying precisely how or How far these drones need to convey their identity, leaving mainly to manufacturers to find the best way to do this in the next 18 months, which is when new drones sold in the United States will have to comply. “At the moment, no means of compliance have been approved by the FAA,” writes a spokesman.
For a DJI-style drone that already has a lot of technology and already connects to your smartphone, it can theoretically be as easy as sending an additional signal every now and then, but it depends on what the FAA decides to approve in the end. DJI declined to comment on this story, which makes me wonder if there is anything I am missing.
It is important to note that while DJI protested the FAA’s original proposal that it could have required all drones to transmit their remote ID over the Internet, the final rules explicitly do not require an Internet connection and suggest that manufacturers can simply use Bluetooth short range or Wi-Fi.
Here is the statement from the autonomous drone manufacturer Skydio: “We are reviewing the new FAA rule on remote identification, which takes effect in approximately 30 months. There is no immediate impact on Skydio customers. We are working closely with the FAA and taking steps to ensure that our current and future products are in compliance with the new structure. “
If it is difficult to add these streams. or if people are concerned about revealing their location, it can change the way drones are made and sold. Companies like DJI are already trying to keep some drones below the 0.55 pound weight limit, so that buyers don’t have to legally register them with the FAA. Now, more drones are likely to follow suit, and cheaper flying toy manufacturers may think twice before crossing that weight limit as well. Even racing drones designed to reduce as much weight as possible may now need to consider a possible remote ID transmitter in their construction.
And just because you have a remote ID transmitter doesn’t mean you can take an eye off your drone, by the way. The visual line of sight rule still applies. “People operating a drone with a remote ID transmission module must be able to see their drone at all times during the flight,” writes an FAA spokesman, who also confirmed to the The Verge that there is no exemption for drones built at home. “[FAA-Recognized Identification Areas] they are the only places where unmanned aircraft (radio-controlled drones and model aircraft) can operate without transmitting remote ID message elements without other FAA authorization, ”they wrote.
If you are a professional licensed drone operator, there is some very intriguing and long-awaited news today along with the remote ID rule: the FAA has finally decided to allow you to fly drones over people, at night, and in some cases even over vehicles on the move without requiring a special exemption.
Flying at night requires additional training and anti-collision lights “which can be seen for 3 statutory miles and have a sufficient flash rate to avoid a collision”. Flying over people depends on how dangerous your drone is in terms of weight and sharp propeller blades. There are four categories of drones:
The small unmanned aircraft eligible for category 1 must weigh less than 0.55, including everything on board or otherwise attached, and must not contain exposed rotating parts that could tear human skin. No means of compliance (MOC) or declaration of conformity (DOC) accepted by the FAA is required.
The eligible small Category 2 unmanned aircraft must not cause injury to a human being that is equivalent to or greater than the severity of the injury caused by a transfer of 11 foot-pounds of kinetic energy on the impact of a rigid object, does not contain any rotating parts that can tear human skin on impact on a human and contain no safety defect. Requires FAA-accepted means of compliance and FAA-accepted declaration of conformity.
The eligible small Category 3 unmanned aircraft must not cause injury to a human being that is equivalent to or greater than the severity of the injury caused by a transfer of 25 foot-pounds of kinetic energy on the impact of a rigid object, does not contain any Rotation exposed parts that can tear human skin on impact on a human and contains no safety defect. Requires FAA-accepted means of compliance and FAA-accepted declaration of conformity.
Small eligible Category 4 unmanned aircraft must have a certificate of airworthiness issued in accordance with Part 21 of FAA regulations. It must be operated in accordance with the operational limitations specified in the approved Flight Manual or as specified by the Administrator. Operational limitations should not prohibit operations on humans. It must have maintenance, preventive maintenance, changes or inspections carried out according to specific requirements in the final rule.
You cannot fly a small Category 1 or Category 2 drone over people unless you have a remote ID transmitter, while Category 3 cannot fly over “sets of humans outdoors”, only private areas where people people are under covered structures or have been warned that a drone will be flying overhead. Regardless, you will need a Part 107 license to fly at night or over people, which means taking a test and obtaining a license. These specific rules are expected to take effect in about two months.
Here is the FAA executive summary (PDF) on flying over people and the full text of the remote ID rule (PDF) so you can read it for yourself. The FAA addressed many public comments and suggestions there, so it is worth reading if you are wondering why they chose this path.