New FAA rules won’t ground C. Oregon drone industry

Is it a plane? Is it a bird? These days, it might be a drone you’re looking at. The UAS (Unmanned Aerial Systems) industry has been headed sky-high.

And now the Federal Aviation Administration has proposed new rules and regulations aimed at balancing safety needs with a burgeoning industry anxious to fly high and far.

“When we got started, we were one of three companies — and now there are hundreds and hundreds of companies,” Hans Skjersaa, owner at XPro Heli in Bend, said Monday.

Drones in all sizes and shapes are getting cheaper and easier for people to buy, and their use is extending from aerial videos to firefighting efforts and much more.

“It’s just like, ‘Wow! Look at how fast this thing grew!” Skjersaa said.

But with the growth of the industry comes increasing safety concerns.

“We’re ensuring that these aircraft don’t come into conflict with other aircraft, that they don’t endanger people on the ground,” said FAA Administrator Michael Huerta.

How much damage could a small drone do to an aircraft? Experts say, quite a bit.

“To give you an example, flying a fighter in the Navy, a five-pound duck could penetrate my bulletproof screen,” said Jerry Bean, adviser for COCC’s aviation program.

The FAA has proposed strict rules, including:

– Drones would only be permitted to fly during daylight hours, under 500 feet and at 100 mph or less.

– Pilots would need to get a new FAA flight certificate and maintain constant visual contact with their drones (something Amazon has said would kill their high-flying delivery hopes0.

Those in the industry are not complaining.

“It’s actually really, really good news,” Skjersaa said.

“Why is it good for the drone industry? So they can operate,” Bean said. “Right now they don’t know what the rules, are because they aren’t any,”