The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has given regulatory approval to four drone companies to begin flying commercial aircrafts.
The exemptions were granted Wednesday to Trimble Navigation Limited, VDOS Global, Clayco and Woolpert, all of which will now be able to conduct aerial surveys, monitor construction sites and inspect oil flare stacks, according to USA Today.
The FAA is currently working on regulations that will allow drones to share the same air space as planes.
"The FAA's first priority is the safety of our nation's aviation system," said Michael Huerta, administrator FAA. "Today's exemptions are a step toward integrating (unmanned aerial systems) operations safely."
Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said businesses can use drones to provide better products and services to the American public, thus promoting innovation and economic activity, Investor's Business Daily reported.
"We want to foster commercial uses of this exciting technology while taking a responsible approach to the safety of America's airspace," Foxx added.
Oil company BP and drone maker AeroVironment were the first to receive a commercial drone permit back in June to conduct surveys over the northern scope of Alaska. Other companies looking to use commercial UAVs include Amazon, which wants to use the technology to deliver packages. The FAA has so far received 167 requests for exemption from commercial drone firms.
Trimble uses its UX5 drone to take digital photographs for aerial surveys, and VDOS wants to use its Aeryon SkyRanger drones to inspect flare stacks for Shell Oil in the Gulf of Mexico, USA Today reported. Clayco plans on surveying construction sites with its Skycatch multi-rotor drones, and Woolpart is set on mapping rural Ohio and Ship Island, Miss. with its Altavian Nova Block III drones.
The FAA has been working on policies for commercial drones that would make sure the machines would avoid other aircraft and land safely if they lose contact with remote pilots. Congress has set a deadline of September 2015 for these regulations to be established.
Drone companies may have to wait a little longer to take their aircraft to the sky, as the Government Accountability projected at a House hearing Wednesday that FAA may not finalize rules for drones weighing up to 55 pounds until 2017 at the earliest, USA Today reported.
"We agree that we need to speed this up a little bit," Peggy Gilligan, associate administrator for aviation safety of the FAA, said at the hearing.
