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DRONES
ACHIEVE
LIFTOFF

FA A'S NEW COMMERCIAL DRONE REGULATIONS
STREAMLINE RESORT OPERATIONS
& IMPROVE SAFETY

BY DAVE BYRD, NSA A DIRECTOR OF RISK & REGULATORY AFFAIRS

I line-of-sight requirements for pilots and, most impactful, the
n June the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) limitations on drones flying over people. Importantly, the FAA
finally released the long-awaited regulations on how busi- may waive some (but not all) of the key restrictions in these
nesses can use small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), rules, which is a critical component of the new regulations.
more commonly known as drones, as a key component of
their companies. The new regulations will provide incredible There will likely be a wave of innovations from both
opportunities for businesses to streamline their operations, manufacturers and businesses reacting to the FAA’s regula-
especially ski areas. tions. For the ski industry, the ideas for using drones extend
to all resort departments: chairlift inspections, search-and-
NSAA worked closely with both the FAA and the US rescue applications, cloud seeding from drones, measuring
Forest Service (USFS) to influence how both of these fed- skier volume on trails, analyzing snow depths and snow-
eral agencies view drones as part of our unique resort envi- making needs, aerial mapping, ski school video highlights,
ronments. Given that ski areas are typically in remote, rural designated “drone zones” in terrain parks, sweeping video
locations—far from airports and manned aircraft flight panoramas, wildlife and wildfire management, and a myriad
paths—NSAA emphasized that ski areas are poised to be of yet-to-be-imagined marketing applications.
early pioneers in the use of drones in mountain operations.
While the sky is the limit for this unprecedented tech-
These new regulations for businesses—commonly be nology, navigating the nuances of these voluminous rules
referred to as “Part 107” for their location within Chapter 14 can be tricky. Accordingly, we’ve broken down some of the
of the Code of Federal Regulations—will affect ski areas in key provisions of the new regulations to provide context for
a number of key aspects, including pilot certification, drone how they will impact ski resort operations.
operations at night, payload and cargo delivery rules, visual

18 | NSAA JOURNAL | SUMMER 2016