FAA Issues First Ever Part 107 Waiver to Fly A Drone With Parachutes, Over people for Hensel Phelps Construction and Parazero Technologies

Update :  After publishing we were able to find out that the Parachute was provided by Parazero Technologies LTD. Please find ParaZero press release.. We have replaced the photo with the right one and a video.

FAA worked with Hensel Phelps Construction to develop a public standard to ensure the testing and data collection to confirm that the waiver meets the proposed sUAS operation can be safely conducted under the terms and conditions of a waiver under Part 107. The setup was a DJI Phantom 4 drone, equipped with a parachute, planing to fly over people.

While FAA did not certify or approve the parachute used, FAA mentioned that the process is scalable and available to other applicants who propose to use the same drone and parachute combination. The FAA will require each applicant to provide the testing, documentation, and statement of compliance listed in ASTM3322-18 in their applications using the same drone and parachute combination.

FAA News Release;

FAA Issues Waiver to Fly Drones With Parachutes

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced today that it issued Hensel Phelps Construction Company of Greeley, Colorado, a Part 107 waiver on June 1 to operate a DJI Phantom 4 drone, equipped with a parachute, over people.

A waiver is required to operate a drone contrary to the rules in part 107, which is the small unmanned aircraft rule.

The FAA did not certify or approve the parachute that will be used; however, the FAA determined that the waiver application sufficiently met the standard design specification (ASTM 3322-18) and that the proposed small Unmanned Aircraft System (sUAS) operation could be safely conducted under the terms and conditions of a waiver.

This waiver represents the first time the FAA has collaborated with industry in developing a publically available standard, worked with an applicant to ensure the testing and data collected acceptably met the standard, and issued a waiver using an industry standard as a basis to determine that a proposed sUAS operation can be safely conducted under the terms and conditions of a waiver under Part 107.

This process is scalable and available to other applicants who propose to use the same drone and parachute combination. The FAA will require each applicant to provide the testing, documentation, and statement of compliance listed in ASTM3322-18 in their applications using the same drone and parachute combination.