House Subcommittee on Aviation: Drone Hearing
The U.S. House Subcommittee on Aviation held its hearing on the integration, oversight and competitiveness of unmanned aircraft systems (drones). To date, the FAA has provided piece-meal approvals of only a handful of commercial drone operators. Bloomberg.com published a recap of the hearing that included testimony from a variety of industry experts.
The integration of drones into the national airspace system is an important issue that requires quick and definitive resolution. Unfortunately, drone regulation is lagging behind the market similar to how the Internet is quickly moving beyond existing law and Congress' ability to enact new legislation.
One witness, President of the Air Line Pilot's Association Capt. Lee Moak, pointed out in the video below that a well-trained flight crew is the most important part of safe drone operations (43 minute mark of the video below) and we couldn't agree more.
Our drone operators are FAA-licensed pilots and we put our visual/safety observers through the same ground school curriculm used to train private pilots. With that training and strict adherence to FAA guidelines regarding maximum altitudes, airspace restrictions and other safety considerations, Heli Watch provides professional and responsible drone videography services that are consistent with the FAA's methodical approach to drone integration.
You can check out the complete hearing below:
