Six film companies now have FAA permission to use drones for filming

The United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has granted six television and movie firms permission to use drones to shoot scenes. This groundbreaking ruling is in stark contrast to the FAA’s tight restrictions on the commercial use of unmanned aircraft system, also known as drones, within United States airspace.

There are, however, a few restrictions, such as the fact that the unmanned aircraft systems cannot be used at night and mist be inspected before each flight.

The United States Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said: “Today’s announcement is a significant milestone in broadening commercial UAS use while ensuring we maintain our world-class safety record in all forms of flight. These companies are blazing a trail that others are already following, offering the promise of new advances in agriculture and utility safety and maintenance.”

The six companies in question had asked the FAA to grant them exemptions from the regulations which address general flight rules, pilot certificate requirements, manuals, maintenance, and equipment mandates. In their applications, the six firms said the operators will hold private pilot certificates, keep the unmanned aircraft systems within line of sight at all times and restrict flights to the “sterile area” on the set.

“The applicants submitted UAS flight manuals with detailed safety procedures that were a key factor in our approval of their requests,” said FAA Administrator Michael Huerta in a statement.

Read more about the story at The Wall Street Journal.