Section 333 Exemptions granted to date differentiate between participating and nonparticipating persons for purposes of sUAS operating conditions. Other changes of interest to utilities and energy companies relate to sUAS operations over and near people. In the latest Exemptions granted, the FAA states that the “operator is authorized by this grant of exemption to use any aircraft identified on the List of Approved Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) under Section 333 at regulatory docket FAA-2007-3330 at, when weighing less than 55 pounds including payload.” Given that the list of approved sUAS currently includes 1,120 aircraft, this greatly expands the options available to utilities and energy companies when evaluating which drone system performs best for the intended uses. If the applicant later wanted to add different aircraft, an amendment to the Exemption was required. In the past, a Petition for Section 333 Exemption was required to specifically identify the aircraft the applicant intended to operate and approval was granted only for that aircraft. The most noteworthy change concerns the sUAS approved for use under the Exemption. These changes may create new opportunities for utilities and energy companies interested in establishing or expanding sUAS operations. While the FAA has not announced a formal policy change with regard to the commercial operation of small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS), a review of recently approved Section 333 Exemptions indicates changes to the conditions and limitations included in most of the nearly 4,000 exemptions granted so far.
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