Michael Robbins

Rule Changes

Leading industry advocacy on Part 108 rule

For nearly a decade, every U.S. commercial drone operator wanting to fly beyond a pilot's line of sight needed an individual FAA waiver — a slow, bespoke process that capped the industry at small pilot programs. On August 7, 2025, the FAA proposed Part 108: a new, standardized framework for routine beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS) operations replacing individual waivers. In January 2026, the FAA reopened the comment period for 14 days (closing February 11, 2026) to refine the rule before finalizing it in March 2026.

Updated May 29