Legal expert Barbara Jordan said in a recent report that the newly released Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) rules governing the use of drones or unmanned aerial vehicles make it easier to use them in construction jobs.
Jordan, of Dinsmore and Shohl LLP, said drones are practical for gathering data in construction sites because of their light weight and their ability to go where it is impractical for humans and heavy machinery to go.
The new rules state that the drone operator should be at least 16 years old, and should have the drone registered online. Further, the operator should pass an aviation knowledge test administered by an FAA-approved testing center. They should also pass review by the Transportation Security Authority (TSA).
“To operate under the new Part 107 regulations, a contractor needs to obtain a remote pilot certificate and follow all of the rule’s operating provisions,” she added.
“Despite the FAA’s less restrictive path to launching a drone on construction sites, there are still various practical considerations through which a project owner, contractor and design professional must parse.
From use notices to ownership of the electronic data to drone insurance, it is still very much the Wild West out there,” Jordan concluded.
