Part 108 NPRM, Update on Drone Collision in TX, and Major Leaks on DJI Mini 5 Pro

Welcome to Your Weekly UAS News Update. We have three stories for you this week. The FAA has finally unveiled its proposed rule for beyond visual line of sight operations. Also, we have an update on a story about a drone collision in Kerrville, Texas. And lastly, we have some major leaks on the DJI Mini 5 Pro. So, let’s get to it.

FAA Proposed Rule for BVLOS Operations

First up this week, the big one that we have all been waiting for. The FAA finally released its notice of proposed rulemaking, or NPRM, for beyond visual line of sight, or BVLOS, operations. Now, this is a massive deal for the drone industry. For years, complex BVLOS operations have required a slow case-by-case waiver process. This new rule is aiming to create a standardized, scalable framework in order to normalize these flights. The proposal is designed to unlock the economic potential of drones in areas like package delivery, agriculture, or even infrastructure inspections, and quite frankly, many more things.

So, what’s in the proposal? Well, unfortunately, there is a ton, and we’re working on a full video right now to debrief everyone on the NPRM, but here are some of the main talking points.

Operations will have to be at or below 400 ft. The aircraft can be up to 320 lbs. That’s a bit of a surprise here. All operators would need to have FAA approval for the specific area where they intend to fly. They would also identify the boundaries and the approximate number of daily operations, as well as takeoff, landing, and loading areas if applicable. Also, all drones would need to have remote ID and lighting on top of them. Now, that’s not really a big surprise.

We have BVLOS drones that could be operated over people in some situations, with quite frankly another complex definition of these different populated areas. There are five different ones. And then also there are some security requirements for BVLOS operators. And then the last one, kind of a surprise, which we’ll see how this goes. But BVLOS operators may not need to have any kind of FAA certificates or really training.

What we haven’t seen in the NPRM so far is any mention of network Remote ID, which I thought was interesting, and then also any mention of extended visual line of sight for Part 107 operators, which is also, I think, a big miss. Now, the work for us has begun for the team as we go through the 700-plus pages of proposed regulation in order to prepare the full report for you. We’re hoping to get this done next week sometime.

We already have quite a bit of questions, including how recreational flights could possibly be covered under this and why it appears that riskier operations won’t actually require any FAA certificate for pilots. It’s definitely going to take us a few days to go through this. So, please be patient, and also don’t forget to subscribe if you want to stay updated and notified when we have new stuff coming out.

Update on Drone Collision in Kerrville, Texas

Next up, an update on the helicopter and the drone midair collision. During the catastrophic floods in Kerrville on July 7th, a military UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter was forced to make an emergency landing after colliding with a drone. Now, the initial reports immediately blamed the unauthorized civilian drone violating the TFR, or the temporary flight restriction. Now, we reported on this as it was reported by others and stating that the drone appeared to be an unauthorized flight inside of the TFR. But what came out later is that at a testimony at a state hearing, what really happened is that the drone involved was actually an authorized search and rescue drone that was allegedly having a malfunction. According to the report, it flew too high, stalled, and then collided with the helicopter.

Now, a side note here, whoever said that is definitely not a trained pilot. I want to clarify that drones do not stall. There is something that happens like this to winged aircraft but not to multirotors, and that there is really no possible way that this aircraft was flying too high in Texas. We have flown our drones above 12,000 ft MSL, mean sea level, in the mountains of Arizona without any issues. And we know people that have flown them in Colorado over 14,000 ft without any issues either.

Back to the story. Thankfully, no one was injured, but it grounded a vital rescue asset during the major disaster. So, for all of us, especially for public safety pilots, I think it’s a good reminder to know the aircraft’s limitations and then to always prioritize safety. In this case, this went wrong, and we’re going to try to figure out exactly why by looking at the NTSB report when it finally comes out.

DJI Mini 5 Pro Leaks

Last up are some DJI leaks. It looks like that we’re getting our first real glimpse at the DJI Mini 5 Pro thanks to some leaked images of the product box and then also a new render. If the specs are real, this could be quite a bit of a game changer for the mini category.

We have the 1-inch sensor potentially capable of shooting up to 4K at 120 frames per second. That’s quite a bit of an upgrade from the 1/1.3-inch sensor that we had in the Mini 4 Pro. The leaks also suggest that a gimbal could be having 225 degrees of rotation for more flexible camera movement, also a 48MP medium telephoto mode, and then a nightscape omnidirectional obstacle sensing that looks like it’s using a forward-facing LiDAR sensor.

But here’s the most important detail, and it’s what’s really missing from the box. The Mini 4 Pro box back in the days clearly stated that it was less than 249 g. But that text is actually nowhere to be seen on the new leaks. With a bigger sensor and then a LiDAR unit on it, it’s very possible that the DJI Mini 5 Pro might actually tip the scales to be over that magic 250 g mark. This would have major implications for pilots all over the world, quite frankly, who rely on the regulatory freedom of the sub-250 g category.

Although in the US it really only gives you no registration. All the other rules still have to be followed. There are rumors of two different battery options again: a lighter one that would stay under the limit potentially and then a larger one that would go for longer flight time, take you over that limit. Rumors put this thing out around September of 2025, but we’ll have to wait and see even if we’re going to get it in the United States.

Commercial UAV Expo Partnership

And finally, I want to talk about one of the most important events for the drone industry, that is Commercial UAV Expo in Las Vegas. I’m so excited to announce that Pilot Institute is officially partnering with Commercial UAV Expo to bring our training live and in person for the first time ever directly to the center of the action. Now, we’ve built a pretty powerful lineup here to give you the ultimate competitive edge. First, we’re going to have the cutting-edge industry insight workshop. This is the fastest way to get ahead, and that is on the Tuesday of the event. For just $199, you get to spend a full day with me, Amy Wiggin, Jared Yanis, and Vic Moss, and we’re going to cover the most critical topics in our industry today.

Next, we have two exclusive hybrid courses. Our drone business made easy course that finishes with a live two-hour module with me on Wednesday. And then you can also do the master drone mapping course with Jared Yanis that will run for 2 hours hands-on workshop on Thursday. Now, this is your chance to learn from someone who is in the field winning jobs and doing this every single day. This is where the industry gathers. This is where you get ahead. Seats for these workshops are extremely limited. So make sure that you visit pilotinstitute.com/cuav in order to see the full lineup and secure your spot.

And then you can join us on Monday in the premium community for postflight. This is where we share our opinion especially on the Part 108 NPRM. And then we are going to discuss other stories including the interesting federal court ruling that upholds Michigan’s ban on using drones for recovery of deer. And that’s it for you this week. We’ll see you on Monday for a live Q&A. I’m sure there’ll be a lot of questions about Part 108. We’ll be ready to answer those. And in the meantime, fly safe. We’ll see you then.

Coast Guard helicopter that’s flying at 200 ft above the coastline is now going to have to give way to a drone that is being flown beyond visual line of sight under Part 108. I don’t see any positives with this. >> No. Do not get your hopes up that this is going to be designed for Joe Blow to fly beyond visual line of sight on their own. Can we do a little jingle for the gaslighting moment of the week?