Trimble Navigation Ltd. requested an exemption to fly its small unmanned aircraft system (UAS) prior to the finalization of the Federal Aviation Administration’s small UAS rule. Once the rule is set in motion, the use of certain low-risk UAS will be permitted for commercial use.
Trimble sent in this request in order to use its small UAS for land mapping and mining surveys. By doing this, the company hopes to save time, money and possibly lives.
The Association for Unmanned Vehicles Systems (AUVSI) supports Trimble’s bid to use its UX5 aircraft, which weighs less than six pounds, and submitted official comments to the U.S. Department of Transportation regarding the request.
“Accelerating commercial UAS use will not only help businesses harness the tremendous potential of UAS, they will also help unlock the economic impact and job creation potential of the technology,” stated the AUVSI in its comment. “The FAA should promptly grant this exemption request, look for ways to allow for more commercial use of very small UAS immediately, and get on with rulemaking.”
The FAA had announced in May that, in order to speed up the use of commercial UAS, it would consider granting exemptions to the rule for low-risk use of this technology.
