On September 21, Hogan Lovells’ Unmanned Aircraft Systems lawyers Lisa Ellman, Patrick Rizzi, Matthew Clark, and Elizabeth Meer presented a webinar on Drones on Campus: Navigating the FAA’s New Small UAS Rule.
Colleges and universities across the country are finding new and innovative ways to use unmanned aircraft or “drones.” To name just a few, higher education institutions are using drones to support research and learning in areas like precision agriculture, wildlife habitat monitoring, and aerial surveying and mapping. They are using drones to film football practices, inspect their infrastructure, and shoot promo marketing videos.
Until earlier this week, the legal framework for flying drones for commercial purposes was complicated, cumbersome, and required a special exemption from the FAA. The FAA’s new small UAS rule (Part 107), which became effective on August 29, is a game changer. Colleges and universities are now broadly authorized to fly drones in the United States. Is your campus in compliance?
Topics covered during this webinar include:
- Navigating the regulatory framework among hobbyist, commercial, and public aircraft operations
- Remote pilot certification
- Drone registration, marking, inspection, and maintenance requirements
- Regulatory recordkeeping and reporting requirements
- Operational limitations
- Part 107 waivers:
- flights over people
- night flights
- flights beyond visual line of sight
- operation of multiple drones by a single pilot
- Considerations for operating near airports/controlled airspace
- Tips for developing policies and procedures for campus drone use
- Insurance and mitigating liabilities
- Privacy best practices