Drone attorney Jonathan Rupprecht has found and analyzed some statistics from the first 2 weeks of the new Part 107 test – and the results are stunning. Over 5,000 drone operators took the part 107 test in the first 15 days; compared with just over 9,000 manned aircraft tests in the entire year of 2015. In the infographic below, Rupprecht crunches the numbers on the test; current applications for certificates; and airspace authorization requests.
Rupprecht says that the statistics show that the test is in line with other airman knowledge tests – the pass rate is approximately the same – and that the TSA is keeping up with background checks, processing over 8,000 in the last two weeks.
The waiver process, however, appears to be moving more slowly – the 79 waivers already granted would seem to be conversions of Section 333 waivers.
Miriam McNabb is the Editor-in-Chief of DRONELIFE and CEO of JobForDrones, a professional drone services marketplace, and a fascinated observer of the emerging drone industry and the regulatory environment for drones. Miriam has penned over 3,000 articles focused on the commercial drone space and is an international speaker and recognized figure in the industry. Miriam has a degree from the University of Chicago and over 20 years of experience in high tech sales and marketing for new technologies.
For drone industry consulting or writing, Email Miriam.
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[…] an approach that echoes that first taken for commercial drones, before Part 107: when the FAA granted permission to fly commercial drones only to pilots of manned aircraft through […]