by Alex Cooke March 7, 2017
DJI Calls FAA Data 'Poorly Chosen' and 'Deeply Flawed'
DJI recently issued a white paper expounding upon the relationship between the weight of drones and the risk posed by them, asserting that current FAA regulations are based on "poorly chosen data and deeply flawed assumptions."
The white paper proposes raising the 250-gram threshold that defines drones of the lowest risk to 2.2 kilograms. For reference, the DJI Phantom 4 Pro weight 1.39 kilograms and the Inspire 2 weighs 3.29 kilograms, making the proposed raise in the threshold somewhere above the standard consumer range. The original 250-gram threshold was developed in 2015 during the process of creating registration guidelines for drones. Any drone below this threshold was considered a sufficiently low risk to not warrant registration. Regarding this, however, DJI claims:
While the FAA’s 2015 Registration Task Force (RTF) said drones weighing up to 250 grams posed the lowest risk, further research shows that standard was based on poorly chosen data and deeply flawed assumptions, including an almost 50-year-old model of casualties from a nuclear war that destroys all hospitals. Using more accurate scientific inputs, DJI’s white paper concludes unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) up to 2.2 kilograms can be safely flown with the lowest risk.
DJI Vice President of Policy and Legal Affairs Brendan Schulman says that the 250-gram threshold was created merely for registration, but was inappropriately adopted for the purposes of safety guidelines. The white paper asserts that a 2.2-kilogram line is more appropriate, especially given that issues of the presence of people and pilot aptitude seem to determine the frequency and outcome of safety-related incidents more so than weight. Such thresholds are important as they guide the creation of laws that determine the operational limits that drone flyers must work within.
DJI Calls FAA Data 'Poorly Chosen' and 'Deeply Flawed'
DJI recently issued a white paper expounding upon the relationship between the weight of drones and the risk posed by them, asserting that current FAA regulations are based on "poorly chosen data and deeply flawed assumptions."
The white paper proposes raising the 250-gram threshold that defines drones of the lowest risk to 2.2 kilograms. For reference, the DJI Phantom 4 Pro weight 1.39 kilograms and the Inspire 2 weighs 3.29 kilograms, making the proposed raise in the threshold somewhere above the standard consumer range. The original 250-gram threshold was developed in 2015 during the process of creating registration guidelines for drones. Any drone below this threshold was considered a sufficiently low risk to not warrant registration. Regarding this, however, DJI claims:
While the FAA’s 2015 Registration Task Force (RTF) said drones weighing up to 250 grams posed the lowest risk, further research shows that standard was based on poorly chosen data and deeply flawed assumptions, including an almost 50-year-old model of casualties from a nuclear war that destroys all hospitals. Using more accurate scientific inputs, DJI’s white paper concludes unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) up to 2.2 kilograms can be safely flown with the lowest risk.
DJI Vice President of Policy and Legal Affairs Brendan Schulman says that the 250-gram threshold was created merely for registration, but was inappropriately adopted for the purposes of safety guidelines. The white paper asserts that a 2.2-kilogram line is more appropriate, especially given that issues of the presence of people and pilot aptitude seem to determine the frequency and outcome of safety-related incidents more so than weight. Such thresholds are important as they guide the creation of laws that determine the operational limits that drone flyers must work within.