The tethers loosen

LIKE driverless cars, pilotless aircraft also promise to be a huge business if regulatory obstacles can be overcome. This week, after years of delay, America’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) came out with its draft rules for commercial drones. Although not as draconian as some had feared, unmanned aircraft will continue to have their wings clipped.

There had been worries that the FAA would require drones to undergo an expensive and lengthy process to be certified as airworthy, as happens with manned aircraft; and that the person on the ground operating the drone would need a pilot’s licence. Instead, the agency is proposing that drones weighing less than 25kg (55lbs), that are well-maintained and checked before flight, can be flown without certification by operators who have passed a basic aeronautical test. The drones, however, would have to stay below 150 metres (500 feet), fly only in daylight and remain in view of their operators at all time. And they could not be flown over people.