Image credit Pixabay
Editor’s Note: The Poynter Institute, which produces high-quality news and analysis of the media business, particularly journalism, has just published an authoritative – and readable! – article about the immediate future of drone journalism. Interviewed are Matt Waite, University of Nebraska Drone Journalism Lab; Mickey Osterreicher, general counsel, NPPA; and Sally French, known as “The Drone Girl”.
Cross-posted from poynter.org
One year ago, I hoped to be able to say to you now that drone journalism took off in 2017. This year, Poynter — along with the National Press Photographers Association, The Drone Journalism Lab at the University of Nebraska and DJI — taught nearly 400 journalists how to legally and safely fly. But the never-ending flow of local and state restrictions and the slow response of the FAA to airspace waiver requests keep drones from being the daily tool they can be. There is reason to believe 2018 will give those of us who are licensed drone pilots more freedom to fly.
In July, the FAA announced that in 2018, it will be rolling out a new “instant waiver” program that should allow you to get an airspace waiver in minutes. The system is called the LAANC (Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability) program. (Follow the link to see which airports are actively using the program now.) The program is not active nationwide yet, but will roll out in 2018. Pilots can download the AirMap iOS or Android app and file for a waiver by entering the coordinates and times of where and when they want to fly and state how high and how long they intend to be in flight. And the FAA produced a map that makes it easier to see what kinds of restrictions you will encounter where you want to fly.