Drones, Modovolate Aviation, LLC Home

Small drone guide: Pass the FAA remote pilot test

By Henry H. Perritt Jr. and Eliot O. Sprague

Order now on Amazon:

ISBN-13: 978-1535544863

ISBN-10: 1535544864

This book is designed to help anyone pass the written test. Even the holders of regular pilots’ licenses must complete an online course containing much of the same material covered by the written test. The book packages the material into the same categories that the FAA has specified for the written test. It includes the FAA's 40 sample questions published in late July, and has review questions at the end of each chapter. Someone who reads the book, understands the material, and completes the review questions should have no difficulty passing the FAA's Remote Pilot - Small Unmanned Aircraft Rating knowledge test.

The FAA released the final rules for sUAS on 21 June, 2016. They become effective in late August.

Full text (pdf)

Movo Aviation's comment was cited 20 times by the FAA in its preamble to the final rule.

The training course for licensed pilots is available now. The application through IACRA is not. Neither is the knowledge test through knowledge testing centers.

To access the online training course, go to faasafety.gov, login or register, and go to courses. It's hard to find. Select non-credit courses. It's called "ALC-451 Part 107 Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS)."

The FAA has published sample questions and guidance for test centers on the knowledge test: www.faa.gov/training_testing/testing/test_questions/media/uag_sample_exam.pdf

__________________________________________

Recreational and hobbyist flight under Part 107

A good bit of confusion has existed over the status of recreational and hobbyist drone flight under the new Part 107. Part 107 does not apply to recreational and hobbyist flight. Section 336 of the 2012 statute denies the FAA any authority over hobbyist flight. Part 107 only applies to commercial (non-hobbyist) operations. The Academy of Model Aeronautics has obtained a letter from the FAA explaining that.

____________________________________

Full text of FAA's microdrone advisory committee report and recommendations (1 April 2016)

___________________________________________

On 31 March 2016, the FAA opened up online registration for commercial drones. Go to https://registermyuas.faa.gov/

Set up a username and password and then enter user information and register the drone.

___________________________________________

Summary of drone image quality tests at 45-degree offset.

.pdf .pdf

.docx

See Test Results under Configurations and Capabilities for more shots with height and distance data.

__________________________

The FAA has eased the process for adding additional drone models to a section 333 exemption already granted.

This language appears in the most recent batch of Section 333 approvals. Good talking with you all this afternoon.

Some of the recent 333 grants approve the operation of “any UAS that have previously been approved….”. If an existing 333 operator is approved to use only specific UAS in their grant of exemption, they can petition for amendment to operate “any UAS that has previously been approved…”. If the amendment is granted, then they would operate under this new condition.

If an existing 333 operator takes no action, they will not automatically be granted an amendment to their exemption and they will be limited to operating the specific UAS listed on their grant of exemption. Existing 333 operators must file for amendment to receive the newest conditions.

This language appears in the most recent batch of Section 333 approvals. Good talking with you all this afternoon.

Some of the recent 333 grants approve the operation of “any UAS that have previously been approved….” If an existing 333 operator is approved to use only specific UAS in its grant of exemption, it can petition for amendment to operate “any UAS that has previously been approved…” If the amendment is granted, then it would operate under this new condition.

If an existing 333 operator takes no action, it will not automatically be granted an amendment to its exemption and it will be limited to operating the specific UAS listed on its grant of exemption. Existing 333 operators must file for amendment to receive the newest conditions.

The FAA published a list of drones already approved and will update it monthly.

___________________________________________

Hank Perritt and Quinn Ford prepared a white paper, Making newsgathering drones safe near people, to aid the FAA and its industry rule advisory committee in relaxing current prohibitions on drone flight near people.

_____________________________

The FAA Chief Counsel has issued guidance warning that most state and local regulation of drones is preempted by federal law.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Chicago drone ordinance

Committee adopted version

Original version

Perritt testimony

On November 18, the Aviation Committee of the Chicago City Council recommended that the full City Council adopt an ordinance that exempts section 333 exemption holders but subjects other operations to limitations similar to imposed by the FAA on commercial operations and by the AMA on hobbyists. More details are available in the Regulatory Developments section of this website.

News Media Coalition white paper on First Amendment

Link

FAA drone registration rule, the preamble of which cites Movo Aviation's comment 11 times.

Movo Aviation comment on FAA drone registration proposal

Comment

AMA analysis debunks FAA "near-miss" report

Careful analysis by the leading organization of model aircraft hobbyists shows that most of the reports were mere sightings, not near-misses, that errant military drones were included, and that many birds, escaping balloons, and other "UFOs" were reported.

___________________________________________

Modovolate Aviation, LLC has received a section 333 exemption from the FAA, permitting it to fly its drones for commercial purposes.

Text of exemption

Text of blanket COA

____________________________________________

Hank Perritt's interview on ABC7 with Chicago Alderman Scott Waguespack (link to ABC7)

___________________

Amazon releases white papers on air traffic management system for microdrones.

Amazon has released two white papers setting forth its concept for segregating microdrone flight into airspace below 500 feet, with access dependent on autonomous vehicle collision and obstacle avoidance and vehicle-to-vehicle communication. The white papers are available in the Documents section of this website.

_________________

FAA releases microdrone NPRM

The FAA released its long-awaited notice of proposed rulemaking (“NPRM”) on 15 February 2015.

Under the proposed rule, drone operators may fly microdrones weighing under 55 pounds up to 500 feet above ground level within line of sight of the operator, as long as they have an FAA-granted operator certificate and register the microdrone with the FAA.

DRone OPerator (“DROP”) certificates will be available after a candidate passes an FAA-prescribed knowledge test and undergoes screening with the TSA and a flight instructor or FAA representative.

The agency decided not to require airworthiness and type certification of microdrone vehicles or to require skills training and testing. It explicitly held open the possibility of a segmented approach to microdrone regulation, in which the smallest vehicles would be exempt from operator testing. It rejected a requirement for a conventional pilot’s certificate. The proposal does not require a separate observer or any particular safety technology, such as return-to-home, on the vehicle.

Some 4,000 comments were submitted, and the FAA will promulgate a final rule after it reviews them.

The full text of the NPRM and further discussion is available on the NPRM page.

___________________________

Movo Aviation's comment on the NPRM

-------------------------------------------------

Section 333 exemptions

The FAA has exercised its authority under section 333 of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 to allow commercial drone operations on a case by case basis. Some 450 exemptions have been granted. The FAA's website makes them available.

Movo Aviation's petition for a section 333 exemption

___________________________

Movo Aviation is offering a package of microdrones for ENG newsgathering to TV stations. For more information

quotes@movoaviation.com

_________________________

Hank Perritt's paper presented to the National Association of Attorneys General, Washington, 24 February 2015

__________________________________________

Movo Aviation statement submitted to the House Subcommittee on Aviation

________________________________________

Domesticating Drones: The Law, Technology, and Economics of Unmanned Aircraft, by Henry H. Perritt, Jr. and Eliot O. Sprague (400 pages; Routledge) is now available for order on Amazon.

ISBN-13: 978-1472458629

ISBN-10: 1472458621

Mission

Microdrone rental - see products and services page
Microdrones for aerial ENG
Research and development into unmanned aerial vehicles, popularly known as "drones"
Operational deployment of such vehicles for test and data collection and other legal purposes
Operation of airplanes and helicopters for all legal purposes
Education and flight training in manned and unmanned aircraft
Popular education about the future of aviation and the career opportunities it provides