FAA Faces Pressure Over Drone Cloud-Seeding Plan

FAA Faces Pressure Over Drone Cloud-Seeding Plan

FAA Faces Pressure Over Drone Cloud-Seeding Plan The debate over the FAA drone cloud-seeding plan is heating up as airline pilots raise concerns about safety and airspace risks. Rainmaker Technology, a startup aiming to use small drones to release cloud-seeding flares, has petitioned the FAA for an exemption that would allow hazardous materials to be carried on unmanned aerial systems. This request has sparked pushback from the airline pilots union, which argues that the proposal lacks clear safety measures and could pose extreme risks to commercial aviation. Image Credits:YinYang/ Getty Images Pilot Union Pushes Back On FAA Drone Cloud-Seeding The Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) submitted strong objections to Rainmaker’s petition, stating that it “fails to demonstrate an equivalent level of safety.” The union emphasized that deploying drones equipped with burning or ejectable flares in shared airspace introduces hazards such as fire risks and foreign object debris. ALPA also highligh…