Semi-drone-friendly

Some drone and UAV makers are breathing a bit of relief today as the Federal Aviation Administration published its long-awaited proposed commercial drone rules.

Other drone and UAV makers are gnashing their teeth over the killer rule: VLOS-only drone flights, which takes any flight that is not in visual line of sight (VLOS) off the FAA?s flight plan.

Amazon Air and Alibaba?s anticipated drone delivery services in U.S. national airspace (NAS), which definitely are not VLOS, are verboten. That goes for UPS, FedEx and Taco Bell as well.

Want to film a motion picture, check your corn crop for pests, prospect for gold, watch your kid come home from the school bus, or search for your lost schnauzer? Those tasks are all permissible for you?but only as an operator who has passed ?an initial aeronautical knowledge test at an FAA-approved knowledge testing center and has been vetted by the Transportation Security Administration.

But only during daylight hours (?official sunrise to official sunset, local time?); and ?may not operate over any persons not directly involved in the operation.? That last bit means passersby, crowds, and your neighbor?s backyard barbecue.

The scariest one, of course: ?No careless or reckless operations.? Like the recent (February 9th) scare over LAX with a Southwest pilot?s close encounter of a drone kind at 4,000 feet.

See related: FAA date: Incidents involving drones flying in restricted airspace

Got an opinion to share? The rules are open to public comments over the next 60 days. Go here.

First, please give Overview of Small UAS Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, which is the Summary of Major Provisions of Proposed Part 107, a good read and a bit of mind share.

Dark skies are still ahead for drones

Congress will weigh in, maybe even definitively, on this entire matter this September (2015). Then too, jockeying for position for the 2016 Presidential Election is also weighing heavily on Congress.

Biggest losers this time around appear to be Jeff Bezos and Jack Ma.

September should be very interesting.