Regulation

Right now anybody in the European Union and Switzerland can simply buy a drone and start flying it right away as long as they are in compliance with the law. However, this may soon change as the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is currently drafting a law that will require aspiring hobbyist and commercial drone pilots to acquire a license before they are allowed to fly their unmanned aerial aircraft. Since Switzerland typically follows the EU aviation laws, it is expected that the new rule will apply there as well according to the Bundesamt für Zivilluftfahrt (BAZL), the Swiss Federal Office of Civil Aviation. The new rules may become in effect in 2019.

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Earlier this week, we reported on proposed drone regulation from the Trump Administration that would allow federal officials to track, reroute or destroy your drone if needed. Now, we receive news from France where similar, but perhaps less drastic, new drone legislation and regulation is in the works as well. If the new rules come into effect, remote drone identification may become a reality for French drone pilots as soon as July 1st, 2018. Luckily, popular (pro)consumer drones such as the DJI Spark, Mavic Air, and Mavic Pro would be exempt.

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During the Singapore Airshow last week, a top official of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) stated that the regulator is planning to craft rules by this year to make it easier to identify drones and their pilots. The rapid growth of the drone market and the rising number of incidents involving these unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV’s) are the main drivers behind the need for increased drone regulation.

To draft the new rules, the FAA is working closely together with other agencies and industry partners, said Carl Burleson, acting deputy administrator of the regulator, during a panel discussion. Adam Welsh, DJI’s head of public policy for Asia-Pacific was on the same panel and also weighed in, pleading for a global set of rules that would save time and could be implemented faster.

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