FAA USES SUMMARY GRANT PROCESS TO APPROVE 30 UAS EXEMPTIONS
May 7, 2015
The FAA recently issued 30 Section 333 UAS exemptions via the summary grant process. Pursuant to Section 333, the Secretary of Transportation has the ability to determine if certain low-risk UAS operations can be authorized prior to the finalization of the UAS rule. The FAA typically reviews each Section 333 application individually when issuing exemptions. While still having the ability to review applications on a case-by-case basis, the FAA can also issue a summary grant when it has already granted a previous exemption similar to a new request. The summary grant process increases efficiency because it does not require the FAA to perform as detailed an analysis, but instead allows the FAA to repeat the analysis performed for the original exemption on which it is based.
If you have any questions, please contact Evelyn Sahr (esahr@eckertseamans.com, 202-659-6622) or Drew Derco (dderco@eckertseamans.com, 202-659-6665).