10 Things to Know About Drones

1. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) drone definition: “An unmanned aircraft system (UAS), sometimes called a drone, is an aircraft without a human pilot onboard. Instead, the UAS is controlled from an operator on the ground.” — FAA
2. Insurance Services Office (ISO) defines “unmanned aircraft” as: “An aircraft that is not: 1. Designed; 2. Manufactured; or 3. Modified after manufacture to be controlled directly by a person from within or on the aircraft.” — Chris Boggs, director, Academy of Insurance
3. FAA estimates sales of UAS will rise from 2.5 million in 2016 to 7 million in 2020. — FAA
4. Under the new FAA rules for commercial use of small UAS, effective Aug. 29, pilots must keep them within visual line of sight; height and speed are restricted; and flights over unprotected people who aren’t directly participating in the UAS operation are prohibited. — FAA
5. Drones weighing more than 0.55 pounds must be registered with the FAA. As of April 2016, over 430,000 were registered in the U.S. — FAA
6. Ten markets needing insurance coverage for drones: agriculture; construction and surveying; film and photography; freight transport; law enforcement and security; news media; oil and gas; real estate; telecommunications; utilities and energy. — Assurex Global, “Drone Insurance: A Market on the Rise”
7. Common exposures: theft of the drone and attached equipment; damage to the drone, including attachments, electronics and components; property damage caused to others by the drone; bodily injury caused to others by the drone; premises liability at locations used in connection with scheduled flights; malicious damage; system hacking; contractual liability. — Assurex Global
8. ISO’s three exclusionary endorsements for drones: Exclusion – Unmanned Aircraft (CG 21 09 06 15): excludes the use of UAS in both Coverage Part A (Bodily Injury and Property Damage) and Coverage Part B (Personal and Advertising Injury); Exclusion – Unmanned Aircraft (Coverage A Only) (CG 21 10 06 15); and Exclusion – Unmanned Aircraft (Coverage B Only) (CG 21 11 06 15). — Chris Boggs
9. ISO has three exclusionary endorsements with specific exceptions: Limited Coverage for Designated Unmanned Aircraft (CG 24 50 06 15): limited protection under Coverages A and B; Limited Coverage for Designated Unmanned Aircraft (Coverage A Only) (CG 24 51 06 15) ; and Limited Coverage for Designated Unmanned Air-craft (Coverage B Only) (CG 24 52 06 15). — Chris Boggs
10. Both the 2016 Republican and Democratic national conventions were deemed “no drone zones” by the FAA. — FAA

Topics Aviation