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Drone Leaders Push for Sanity for BVLOS Regulations

Drone with mountain in background.

During the American Leadership in Emerging Technology Event that was held at the White House, drone leaders from different companies met with President Donald Trump.

…in order for a drone delivery to happen, drones will have to be able to fly beyond the line of sight of the operator.

Drone leaders have expressed concerns regarding clarity on rules surrounding unmanned aerial vehicles, aka UAVs, aka drones. They requested realistic rules that will allow drones to do the many tasks they are capable of, in wide-ranging economic sectors, from shipping and logistics to filming, surveying, agriculture, self-driving cars, and more.

Drone Leaders Meet with Trump

The event was full of high-profile people, the biggest in the business. Some of the high-level drone companies who sent executives were:

  • Kespry – the number one aerial intelligence platform provider that revolutionized how organizations analyze, capture, and share business insights. George Matthew is the CEO of Kespry.
  • PrecisionHawk – a data and commercial drone company that focuses on developing software for aerial data analysis and drone safety systems. Michael Chasen is the CEO of PrecisionHawk.
  • Airspace – is a drone company that has the only drone solution capable of tracking, identifying, and autonomously eliminating rogue drones from the sky. Jaz Banga is the CEO of Airspace.

    A graphic of a drone and height limit.
    An operator’s line of sight is the largest setback for drone services to excel.

During the event, President Trump became sympathetic to the issues raised by the company executives. Brandon Torres Declet, the CEO of Measure, said: “the President expressed concerns that over-regulation of the drone industry would cause the U.S. to fall behind other countries.”

Aside from asking for more sensible regulations, the leaders have also pushed for rules that are going to let drones be flown at night and even under BVLOS (beyond visual line of sight.)

According to April Glaser of Recode, “right now, it’s not legal to fly beyond the line of sight of an operator”, she added, “in order for a drone delivery to happen, drones will have to be able to fly beyond the line of sight of the operator”.

The rules and regulations are going to define how drones will evolve and be used to improve efficiency in the United States. The Federal Aviation Administration, or FAA, is still developing the regulations for drones, but the company executives are asking for a saner standard that will allow the U.S. to be a leader in the field.

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