Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
FAA Unveils Long-awaited Small Drone Draft Regulation
The FAA announced its highly anticipated and long-overdue notice of proposed rulemaking for commercial use of small unmanned aircraft systems.
Operators would be able to fly the Yuneec Q500 Typhoon quadcopter and other small unmanned aircraft for business purposes under the FAA's proposed rule. (Photo: Matt Thurber)
Operators would be able to fly the Yuneec Q500 Typhoon quadcopter and other small unmanned aircraft for business purposes under the FAA's proposed rule. (Photo: Matt Thurber)

The FAA unveiled its highly anticipated proposed regulation for the commercial use of small drones weighing less than 55 pounds on February 15, nearly four years later than expected. The agency’s release of the rule on a Sunday coincided with the release of a Presidential memorandum setting privacy guidelines for federal agencies that use unmanned aircraft systems (UAS).