FAA |

Federal Government Attempts to Keep Up With Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) aka “Drones”

October 17, 2015Tim CanslerAgriculture, Govt NewsAgriculture, drones, FAA, Lobbying, Lobbyist, lobbyists, technology, Washington, Washington DC

Drone use in agriculture

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)’s task force on unmanned aircraft system registration announced Nov. 23 their recommendations on which unmanned aerial systems (UAS) aka “drones” should be registered and how the registration process may work.

It is estimated that during the Christmas season of 2015 some 700,000 UAS’ will be purchased. The recommendations for registering UAS’ include:

Registration is mandatory at the time of operating the UAS.
There is no fee for registering and the minimum age requirement to register is 13.
UAS’ between 250 grams (.55 pounds) and 55 pounds that will be operated outdoors must be registered
Owners will have one number for all UAS’ owned.
Owner’s name and street (physical) address are required. Providing telephone numbers and email contact information is voluntary.

UAS’ were the topic of a recent US House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee hearing. Looking on is Manufacturing, Commerce and Trade Subcommittee Chairman Michael Burgess (R-TX).

There are multiple industry uses for drones including agricultural uses. Drones may be used for flying over fields looking for pests and diseases, flooding areas in the field, areas where crop yields appear to be low, monitoring livestock, and property improvement needs.

Without question there are areas that should be regulated for the use of drones such as sporting events, military bases and airfields, but varying industries must also be able to use this latest technology to help make their industry more cost effective and competitive. For instance, Amazon is now using drones to deliver some of their packages.

New technology should not be feared and the development of regulations by the FAA should be done with a common sense approach. Additional research is being conducted to better inform officials at FAA so the regulations can allow business and industries to use drones.

This is another great example of how the agriculture industry is impacted by decisions across multiple federal agencies.

NOW is the time to have your voice heard on this issue, BEFORE the decisions are made. If you need someone to represent your interests in Washington, please contact Cansler Consulting today to see how we can help you.…