Section 137.33 – “The agricultural aircraft operator certificate and airworthiness certificate must be carried on the aircraft.”.Section 137.19 – “The applicant must have available the services of at least one person who holds a current US commercial or airline transport pilot certificate.”.They will then have to apply for exemptions for many regulations under Part 61, Part 91, and Part 137.Įxamples of Part 137 regulations that may not apply to drone flight include the following: Drones that weigh 55 pounds or more must first be certified under 14 SFR Part 91.There are also some provisions under Part 137 for which they would have to apply for exemptions as many of the regulations were written for manned aircraft. However, they will need to apply for an exemption for 107.36 (Carriage of hazardous material). Drones that weigh less than 55 pounds will be flying under Part 107 rules.The initial step will vary based on this element alone: If you believe that your operations will under the scope of Part 137, then the first step is to determine if you will be flying a drone that weighs less or more than 55 pounds. Part 137 regulations will apply to any drone pilot who conducts agricultural operations as covered by the definition listed above. Any substance or mixture of substances intended for use as a plant regulator, defoliant, or desiccant.Any substance or mixture intended for preventing, destroying, repelling, or mitigating any insects, rodents, nematodes, fungi, weeds, and other forms of plant or animal life or viruses, except viruses on or in living man or other animals, which the Secretary of Agriculture shall declare to be a pest, and.To be more specific, the “economic poison” mentioned in Part 137 refers to: Who needs Part 137 certification?ĭrone operations that involve agricultural spraying will need to be done by a pilot with a Part 137 certification. Part 137 certification can be granted to both companies and individuals but there does not seem to be a single example of the latter. As far as drone pilots are concerned, agricultural spraying is considered by the FAA as a type of “Advanced Operations” that requires special certification.Īs of February 2021, only 37 companies in the US have received Part 137 certification. Instead, it is a general rule for aircraft operations that just happens to overlap with some examples of professional drone use. Part 137 is not a rule that was specifically formulated for drones. Engaging in any dispensing activity directly affecting agriculture, horticulture, or forest preservation.Dispensing of an economic poison (pesticide, defoliant, plant regulator, or any other substance listed in Part 137.3).Dispensing of any substance intended for plant nourishment, soil treatment, pest control, or propagation of plant life.Thankfully, that is not the case.īased on the definition of Part 137, agricultural operations are defined as such: That name might make Part seem like an all-encompassing rule for aircraft operations that involve agriculture. What is Part 137?ġ4 CFR Part 137 is entitled “Agricultural Aircraft Operations”. In this article, we’re taking a detailed look at Part 137. There’s good reason, too – the fact that it requires a certain kind of FAA certification. This multispectral data can then be processed to infer critical indicators of crop health, allowing for a “smarter” approach to crop management.ĭecidedly less common is the use of drones for agricultural spraying. The more common use case of drones in agriculture is for the collection of multispectral data using aerial surveys. Agriculture is one industry that has surprisingly benefitted from drone technology.
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