Drones' wings clipped.

• Author: Pagels, Jim
• Position: FAA rules - Federal Aviation Administration's rules on drones - Brief article

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has released a proposal for how to regulate drones for private and business use. According to the document, such drones must weigh less than 55 pounds, stay below 500 feet, only operate in daylight, remain in eyesight of the operator unaided by anything but glasses, not fly over anyone not involved with the operation, fly at less than 100 miles per hour, and be marked for identification purposes, among other requirements.

The operators would also be subject to regulation: They would be required to be over age 17, pass an aeronautical exam every two years, clear a background check, and make their drones available for inspection.

The rules all but quash the ability of companies to use drones to deliver packages, as Amazon has long wanted to do. In...