The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) has had a firm lobbying grip on the federal government, and its newest endeavor will push its power to the sky.
Unmanned aerial vehicles, normally used for surveillance and military action, would be allowed over domestic airspace for filming.
According to the MPAA, use of such drones would make for safer, easier and cheaper aerial shots instead of helicopters or cranes. Even though the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) hasn’t allowed such use, filmmakers do so anyway, so Hollywood is now pushing for a government seal-of-approval on their current activity.
The shift of drones in use over the United States is a tricky situation. The use of commercial drones, piloted from the ground over civilian populations, is a tough sell for most Americans. But their use by non-military entities is showing a shift of technology from manned flight to unmanned.
Only time will tell if commercial air travel will soon be without pilots in the plane.