Washington – The FAA is providing additional information on Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) operations and the regulations that apply to them. The regulators tackle eight common myths and lay down the law – citing statutes by number and paragraph – to back up their case.
For example, the FAA refutes the myth that unmanned aircraft are not aircraft over which the FAA has jurisdiction, citing federal regulations defining an aircraft as “any contrivance invented, used, or designed to navigate or fly in the air.” Public law expressly defines the terms “small unmanned aircraft,” “unmanned aircraft,” “unmanned aircraft system,” and “model aircraft” as “aircraft.”
Another myth busted is that the FAA doesn't control airspace below 400ft altitude. In fact, the FAA has broad authority to prescribe regulations to protect individuals and property on the ground and to prevent collisions between aircraft, between aircraft and land or water vehicles, and between aircraft and airborne objects.
The FAA addresses several points of misinformation about UAS operations for commercial or business purposes, even if the vehicle is small, operated over private property, and below 400ft: All are subject to FAA regulation.
The agency reminds us that only two UAS models (the Scan Eagle and Aerovironment’s Puma) have been certified for commercial use, and they are only authorized to fly in the Arctic. However, public entities (federal, state, and local governments and public universities) may apply for a certificate of waiver or authorization (COA).
When the FAA discovers UAS operations in violation of the regulations, the agency has a number of enforcement tools available to address these operations, including a verbal warning, a warning letter, and legal enforcement action.
Revising an earlier estimate of UAS growth, the FAA now predicts that the civil UAS markets will evolve within the constraints of the regulatory and airspace requirements. Once those are enabled, it estimates roughly 7,500 commercial small UAS would be viable by the end of 2018.
To learn more about the myths, please refer to this link.
Source: FAA