Latest Drones Headlines

All the headlines from our Drones Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Insurers Urge Faster OK for Drones in Disaster Response

Apr 21 2015 // U.S. companies including insurers and aerospace manufacturers urged federal aviation regulators on Tuesday to speed up the use of drones in disaster response and relief operations in the United States.A report sponsored by...

Erie Insurance Receives FAA Approval to Use Drones in Claims, Underwriting

Apr 15 2015 // Erie Insurance announced Wednesday that it received conditional approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to use the unmanned aircraft system (UAS) — commonly referred to as drones — in the...

Alabama College Receives FAA Approval to Offer Drone Courses

Apr 14 2015 // Alabama’s Auburn University aviation center plans to offer courses about how to fly drones.The school said last week it has received federal approval to operate a new Unmanned Aircraft Systems Flight School as part...

Insurers AIG, USAA Receive OK to Test Use of Drones

Apr 8 2015 // Two more insurers have received approval to test the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), or drones, for their business.The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has approved requests from USAA and American...

Zurich Canada Launches Drone Insurance Product for Corporate Clients

Apr 2 2015 // Zurich Canada announced that it has “launched a new insurance product that will help its customers across a range of industries take advantage of the risk mitigation and cost saving opportunities available through...

Privacy Restrictions on Nevada Drones Would be Imposed by Bill

Mar 26 2015 // A Nevada Assembly member is attempting to create a regulatory framework for drones that would protect people’s privacy in the state.Democratic Assemblyman Elliot Anderson is sponsoring a bill that would limit how...

Insurers Say Drone Rules Needed for Risk Evaluation

Mar 24 2015 // Insurers applauded a Senate subcommittee for holding a hearing on the use of unmanned aircraft systems and urged swift action from federal regulators charged with integrating the technology into the National Airspace...

FAA Eases Rules for Commercial Drones

Mar 24 2015 // Commercial drone operators will have an easier time using and testing their devices in the U.S. after the Federal Aviation Administration said it has loosened some requirements for obtaining government permission to...

U.S. to Streamline Approval for Commercial Drone Use

Mar 22 2015 // The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration plans to unveil new steps soon to make it easier for companies to use drone aircraft for specific business operations, according to people with knowledge of the matter.Commercial...

Insurance Market Evolves for Drone Pilots Unwilling to Wait on Federal Regulations

Mar 6 2015 // One insurance broker in Colorado has already written policies on 2,600 drones, and a San Francisco-based company said it has assembled an Uber-like list of 1,000 trained operators businesses can hire to do the flying for...

U.S. Issues Draft Rules on Commercial Use of Drones; Insurers Welcome

Feb 16 2015 // The U.S. aviation regulator proposed rules on Sunday for commercial drone flights that would lift some restrictions but would still bar activities such as the delivery of packages and inspection of pipelines that have been...

Oklahoma Lawmakers Want to Regulate Drones in State

Feb 6 2015 // Concerned about the growing presence of drones in the skies above Oklahoma, a couple of state lawmakers have filed legislation to rein in their use.But state officials trying to attract unmanned aerial vehicle designers...

White House Drone Landing Complicates Regulation Debate

Jan 26 2015 // The discovery of a radio-controlled copter on the White House lawn injects a new complication into the debate over the growing popularity of drones used by civilians.The unintentional security breach Monday at the U.S....

Drone Pilot Who Challenged FAA Authority Settles

Jan 23 2015 // The drone pilot who challenged the U.S. government’s authority over unmanned aircraft agreed to pay a reduced fine of $1,100 to settle his case.Raphael Pirker, a Swiss citizen who flew a small unmanned plane without...

U.S. Drone Regulations Delayed

Jan 1 2015 // The United States missed a year-end deadline for publishing new rules on remote-control aircraft, delaying an eagerly awaited step toward using drones in everything from farming to package delivery.Businesses have been...

Iowa DPS Report: Wait On Drone Regulation

Dec 24 2014 // Iowa should take a wait-and-see approach to regulating unmanned aerial vehicles because of their huge potential for positive uses in business and government, the Iowa Department of Public Safety advises in a new report.The...

ISO Drone Insurance Endorsements Should Be Available by June 2015

Dec 15 2014 // ISO said it is preparing coverage endorsements for insurers to use for customers using commercial drones. The coverage options should be available by June, 2015. ISO says the new endorsements address the growing liability...

Drone Risks Require More Safety Regulation, IATA Chief Says

Dec 15 2014 // The surging popularity of inexpensive radio-controlled airplanes and helicopters raises risks that require a firm response from regulators to ensure safety, the head of a leading commercial aviation trade group told...

Erie Insurance Seeks Approval for Drone Use

Dec 15 2014 // Erie Insurance Group recently filed a petition with the U.S. Department of Transportation seeking permission for commercial operations of small unmanned drone aircraft.Erie Insurance joins a growing number of insurers...

Delay in Drone Rules Jeopardizes Research, Competitiveness, Congress Told

Dec 12 2014 // Commercial drone flights are taking off in other countries while the U.S. lags behind in developing safety regulations that would permit unmanned aircraft operations by a wide array of industries, witnesses told a House...