9/26/2014 FAA grants drone exemptions to six Hollywood companies | Ars Technica

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FURTHER READING
FAA grants drone exemptions to six Hollywood
companies
Certificate of airworthiness will not be needed for these commercial drones.
Yuneec Technology had this sleek-looking drone, called Flying Eyes, at the National Broadcasters Association
conference in Spring 2014. It comes fully assembled for those who just need aerial images, not a weekend project.
Megan Geuss
On Thursday, the Federal Aviation Administration granted six aerial photo and video companies exemptions
from rules that make it difficult to use drones for commercial purposes in the United States. US
Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx determined that drones used by these companies would not
threaten other aircraft or pose a national security threat.
Law enforcement agencies, fire departments, and the military have
thus far been the primary drone operators in the US. Commercial
drones, especially those that are intended to make deliveries like
the one that will be launched by DHL in Germany this week or the
ones proposed by Amazon and others, have generally not been
allowed since 2007. (Of course, people can use non-commercial
drones, and potentially crash them, with certain caveats.)
by Megan Geuss - Sept 25 2014, 4:45pm CDT
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9/26/2014 FAA grants drone exemptions to six Hollywood companies | Ars Technica
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GERMAN COMPANY
TO USE
PARCELCOPTER
DRONE TO BRING
MEDICINE TO
REMOTE ISLAND
Logistics company DHL will regularly
fly drone without the use of a land-based
pilot.
The six firms, which include Astraeus Aerial, Aerial MOB,
HeliVideo Productions, Pictorvision Inc., RC Pro Productions
Consulting, and Snaproll Media, will certainly pave the wayfor
other commercial drone companies seeking to deploy their own
drones in agriculture, oil and gas, logistics, and other sectors as
well.
Back in June, the aerial video firms asked the agency to grant
exemptions from regulations that address general flight rules, pilot
certificate requirements, manuals, maintenance, and equipment
mandates, an FAA press release said.
To receive the exemptions, the photography and video firms had to
agree that the operators of the drones would hold private pilot
certificates, keep the UAS [unmanned aircraft systems] within line
of sight at all times, and restrict flights to the 'sterile area' on the
set, the FAA continued. In granting the exemption, FAA accepted
these safety conditions, adding an inspection of the aircraft before
each flight, and prohibiting operations at night. The agency also will issue Certificates of Waiver or
Authorization (COAs) that mandate flight rules and timely reports of any accident or incidents.
The Los Angeles Times notes that movies like the James Bond movie Skyfall and this
summer'sTransformers: Age of Extinction both used drone footage, but that footage was shot in other
countries where use of drones was legal. Last spring, Ars Technica went to the National Broadcasters
Association (NAB) conference in Las Vegas, and drones were one of the most common items being shown
off to the television industry attendees on the show floor. Now, six companies, and possibly more, will be able
to use them legally.
The FAA said that it welcomed petitions from other interested parties and that it is considering 40 requests for
exemptions from other commercial entities.