Between proposed rules and general guidelines put out by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), where growers stand with drone use can be unclear. The FAA is in the process of trying to establish rules that commercial drone use would have to abide by. Many believe those rules won’t be ready anytime soon however, so many smaller ag data companies like H2O Optimizer are staying in tune with the FAA, awaiting the time they can start using the technology to help growers.
Companies Awaiting Drone Use Rules
Brian Bassett with H2O-Optimizer says the FAA just updated guidelines to allow some drone use and he believes certification will remain a major requirement. Bassett believes the current discussion by the FAA is dealing with commercial use and the FAA would view drone use where the vehicle is flown under current guidelines, and on private property for private use, as allowable.