Drones have grown ever more common, buzzing around overhead and even occasionally crashing onto the White House lawn. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) still heavily restricts their use for commercial purposes, but today announced a new effort to eventually loosen those rules and allow for drone operators to fly their devices beyond their line of sight.
Don't expect an Amazon PrimeAir package at the door this afternoon, though. The FAA is currently partnering with only three organizations to test out the expanded use of commercial drones.
In February, the FAA released rules that required drone operators to keep their devices in sight at all times. These unmanned aircraft also had to stay below 500 feet, travel no faster than 100 miles per hour, and not fly over people, except for those involved in the flight.
For companies itching to use drones for longer-haul projects, that "line of sight" rule isn't very helpful, so today's announcement takes the first step toward giving drone operators a bit more space to fly.
First, CNN (which has already been experimenting with drones with mixed results) will look at how drones can be safely used for newsgathering in populated areas.
Meanwhile, PrecisionHawk has been selected to test flights that are outside the pilot's direct vision in rural areas, which could come in handy for things like crop monitoring, the agency said. PrecisionHawk will conduct its tests in the FAA's six designated test sites.
Finally, BNSF Railroad "will explore command-and-control challenges of using UAS to inspect rail system infrastructure" in rural and isolated areas.
"Government has some the best and brightest minds in aviation, but we can't operate in a vacuum," U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said in a statement. "This is a big job, and we'll get to our goal of safe, widespread UAS integration more quickly by leveraging the resources and expertise of the industry."
In March, Amazon criticized the FAA for taking too long to develop drone rules. The FAA gave Amazon permission to test out unmanned aircraft for delivery purposes. But Amazon's Paul Misener told a Senate committee that "the permission the FAA granted is more restrictive than are the rules and approvals by which we conduct outdoor testing in the U.K. and elsewhere."
Also today, the FAA announced a new app for model aircraft and drone users that will let them see whether it is safe and legal to fly drones at their location. The B4UFLY app will be provided to about 1,000 beta testers later this summer, and provides info about the person's immediate area, as well as a "planner mode" that lets them prepare for future flights in other locales, among other things.