Several Significant Changes Made Compared To NPRM

The FAA is set to release its rules for UAV certification, known as Part 107, as early as this week, but as is often the case, such information can't be kept a secret.

John Goglia writes in Forbes that a summary of the proposed rules was leaked to UAV attorney Peter Sachs, and published on the website dronelawjournal.com. Sachs says the summary was found on a publicly accessible government website, which the FAA has since shut down.

According to the summary, there are some significant changes in the final rules compared to the NPRM. They include:

A person must be 16-years-old to act as Remote Pilot in Command;
The maximum altitude for UAV operation has been changed to 400 feet AGL;
There is a requirement that the Remote Pilot in Command be able to read, speak, write, and understand English; and
Holders of a pilot certificate under Part 61 for manned aircraft will only need to pass an online test.

The leaked summary indicates that Part 107 will eliminate several expensive and burdensome requirements for commercial drone operation, including the requirement for a section 333 exemption, a manned pilot certificate, a visual observer, the requirement to issue a NOTAM before each flight and the need to hold a certificate of authorization.

(Image from file)

FMI: Summary, FAA Aeronautcial Test Requirements