Government forecast: 600K commercial drones within the year

WASHINGTON (AP) – Federal aviation officials estimate there will be 600,000 commercial drone aircraft operating in the U.S. within the year as the result of new safety rules that opened the skies to them on Monday.

Michael Huerta, head of the Federal Aviation Administration, said at a news conference that the rules governing the operation of small commercial drones are designed to protect safety without stifling innovation.

Commercial operators initially complained that the new rules would be too rigid. The agency responded by creating a system to grant exemptions to the rules for companies that show they can operate safely.

Under the new rules,  drones may not fly higher than 400 feet or at night.

The drones must be under 55 pounds and must remain in the visual sight of a human operator.

The FAA regulations say operators will no longer need to get a pilot’s license, which is an expensive and time-intensive endeavor.  Instead, now drone pilots must pass an aeronautical exam.

More than 3,300 people signed up to take the first exam this morning.

Huerta said the FAA had already granted 76 exemptions, most of them to companies that want to fly drones at night.

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