FAA writing rules for commercial drone flights over people

Federal officials say they will work quickly to draft new regulations that would permit small, commercial drones to fly over people, including crowds. That comes in response to recommendations from an industry advisory committee.

The Federal Aviation Administration currently prohibits most commercial use of drones over people. The recommendations, first reported by The Associated Press, would create four categories of commercial drones. Drones weighing about a half pound or less would be allowed to fly over people virtually without restriction.

Larger drones in the other three categories would have to maintain a distance from people of at least 20 feet overhead and 10 feet laterally. Manufacturers would also have to crash-test their drones and certify that they are unlikely to cause serious injury if they struck someone.

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