Private Airspace If such a thing exists, airspace over private property will continue to be a point of contention with unmanned aircraft. As for manned aircraft, the Federal Aviation Regulations (FARs) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) define minimum safe altitude as 500 feet above the surface, except when necessary for takeoff and landing (Federal Aviation Administration [FAA], 2017). For unmanned systems, the altitudes are much less defined, therefore leaving interpretation up to local authorities and courts. In fact, according to 2017 FARs, the only limitation put on drone flight is with regard to operating a drone over human beings unless nonparticipants are under a covered structure that will provide protection in the event of a malfunction. As unmanned systems continue to become the commonplace, more rules and regulations are sure to follow. Manned flight, having been around for more than a century, have already navigated these uncharted waters of airspace integration through a much more clearly defined operational area. Licensure In an effort to make UAS operations more appealing without over regulating their use, the FAA has two operator categories: Recreational and …show more content…
In fact, according to the FAA (2017), their number one mission is to provide the safest aerospace in the world. With all other factors being subordinate to safety, and to fulfill the demand to integrate unmanned systems into the National Airspace System (NAS), the FAA devised a plan with safety considerations being paramount. This is because in February 2016, the number of registered unmanned aircraft exceeded the number of manned aircraft in the United States (The Washington Post, 2016). In an effort to stay abreast of the fast pace of drone operations in the United States, the FAA established vertical and lateral separation rules in an effort to keep unmanned aircraft away from manned