Remote ID Proposal
The FAA recently released its proposed rules for the “Remote Identification” of drones and UAS. See: FAA UAS Remote Identification
There are lots of news stories covering different aspects of this massive, 319-page document, most of which applies to very specific niches. At Aerotas, we work with Land Surveyors and Civil Engineers, so here we summarize how this rule will impact those of you using drones for surveying and engineering applications.
FAA’s UAS Remote ID, Impact on Surveyors
No action is required for 4+ years
The overall impact on surveyors will be minor
Some older drones will have to be retired
What is “Remote Identification”
The best way to think about remote identification is to think of it as a license plate for your car, except it is broadcast over the internet. It is a way for police and government agencies to know who is flying a drone, and help to track down pilots who fly illegally.
The ID is a string of digits that is a number specifically for your drone or flight, with the only difference being that it is sent over the internet and can be read by a smartphone since you couldn’t actually see any numbers on the side of a drone. The info that is broadcast specifically DOES NOT contain any personal information like your name, phone number, or email address. It is just an ID number. Police and federal agencies will have the ability to look up this personal information to hunt down irresponsible pilots, however, it will not be available to the general public.
It is worth noting that this is a completely new system, and totally separate from the current ADS-B system used by manned aircraft. In fact, part of the new rule specifically prohibits the use of ADS-B-out transponders on UAVs. The new Remote ID system is designed specifically for use on UAVs.
When will it take effect?
We expect that the rule will come into full effect in 2024 or later.
What was just published is an “NPRM” (Notice of Proposed Rulemaking), and not a final rule. That means that the rule needs to go through a very long public comment and review period before a final rule is published and finalized. For example, the Part 107 NPRM was published in February of 2015, and the final rule wasn’t published until June 2016, a full 16 months later, so expect it to be a while before we even know the final rule. Once finalized, it will take 3 years before the majority of the requirements become effective. A few requirements will take effect sooner but those are focused on manufacturers making sure that they build sell compliant drones.
Overall, this rule will not have any impact on users for a long time. And in the coming 4 years, most commercial operators will have already replaced their drones with new ones that are already compliant.
What it means for surveyors
Once the new rule comes into effect, likely in 2024 or later, your drone must be equipped with the proper technology to broadcast its remote ID. The broadcast will be made over the internet using a cell phone or a WiFi hotspot, which many users already connect to their drones on a regular basis. We know that many surveyors work in rural areas without an internet connection. The good news is that you can fly if the internet is unavailable. If there is not an internet connection, then the drone will simply broadcast a local signal and that will be in perfect compliance with the rule. This issue is addressed specifically in Section 89.110.
"If the internet is unavailable at takeoff, or if during the flight, the unmanned aircraft can no longer transmit through an internet connection to a Remote ID USS, the UAS would have to broadcast the message elements directly from the unmanned aircraft from takeoff to landing." Section 89.110
Because of this, there will be basically no disruption to current drone workflows. The technology is not crazy complicated and is unlikely to dramatically increase the cost of drone hardware, or increase their size or weight by very much. DJI is starting to equip nearly all of its drones with ADS-B In capabilities and that did not result in a price increase. The burden of the Remote ID rules falls mainly on manufacturers, like DJI, over the next 4 years, and if what's past is prologue, then we should not anticipate a large increase in cost.
The biggest impact on surveyors is that drones currently in use today would have to be retrofitted or retired by the time the rule comes into use. As discussed, this likely won’t be until 2024 or later, so you still have a lot of time to use your drone before that is required. Also, most drones purchased in the coming 4 years will likely be built to be compliant already, so there is definitely no need to panic or worry about whether or not to buy a new drone right now based on this rule.
Exemptions and fine print
For all practical purposes, surveyors and other commercial operators will fall under a section of the rule called “Standard Remote Identification UAS.” There are numerous other categories like Limited Remote ID UAS, or FAA compliant sites, that don’t apply to surveyors. They are designed for users of model aircraft, research aircraft, toys, etc., so they aren’t discussed here. There is also a very long discussion of the requirements for drone manufacturers that are not summarized here. The full rule is absurdly long and complicated, but if you want to read through it yourself, you can find the full rule here.
Summary
As a commercial user of drones, there is nothing you need to do or worry about with the publishing of this rule. Most of all, don’t panic. Many model aircraft pilots are making a big deal of this rule as it does put a lot of difficult restrictions on hobby flyers, but that doesn’t apply to surveyors. At Aerotas, we believe that this is a well-written rule that will help enhance the overall capabilities of drones in the long-run, and we fully support it, even if it will take 4 years to actually happen.
Questions? Contact us anytime at (949) 335-4323, or info@aerotas.com