Company wants comments on proposed FAA drone rules

The company that is coordinating the state’s efforts to commercialize unmanned aerial systems is asking companies in the growing industry to comment on proposed Federal Aviation Administration rules on the use of small drones.

The FAA issued proposed rules for the operation of unmanned systems that weigh less than 55 pounds on Feb. 15. Rules also are being established for so-called “micro-drones” that weigh less than 4.4 pounds. The agency that oversees the nation’s commercial airspace established a 60-day comment period on the rules that ends April 24.

Among the rules suggested by the FAA are that small systems fly a maximum height of 500 feet, a maximum speed of 100 mph and only during daylight hours within the line of sight of the operator on the ground.

Don Cunningham, who heads Bowhead Systems in Las Vegas, the operator of the Nevada Institute for Autonomous Systems, said his team plans to gather suggestions from businesses to present comments on behalf of the state.

Cunningham said he’s hoping for rules that will balance safety with rapidly advancing technology considerations.

He and Bruce Tarbert, airspace integration and airworthiness manager for the state office, are considering suggesting different rules for the airspace over urban areas as opposed to rural areas. They noted that there’s far more potential for conflict over Las Vegas than in desert areas outside the city where line-of-sight rules would curtail the value of flying unmanned vehicles along utility lines and pipelines.

Companies that want to comment under the state’s banner don’t have long to submit their ideas.

Comments are being collected by Steve Curtis of the Desert Research Institute, one of the state partners in the drone project, through April 1.

Curtis said he will accept comments at stevencurtis@centurylink.net.

Suggestions will be edited and collated through April 16 and the board as well as the governor’s economic development office will review them before submitting them to the FAA by April 24.

As of March 17, Curtis hadn’t received any comments to be a part of the state’s submission. State officials noted that individuals could also submit comments directly to the FAA through the regulations.com website.