The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approved the NFL Films’ Certificate of Waiver of Authorization (COA) which is essentially a permit to fly a commercial drone. NFL Films, a division of the NFL that produces TV programs, films, and documentaries, is expected to use it predominantly for filming, not for live broadcasts.
The permit comes with conditions and limitations: drones must weigh less than 55 pounds, fly below 400 feet above the ground at less than 100 miles per hour or 87 knots. Furthermore, NFL Films may only fly drones when stadiums are empty, eliminating the possibility for drone footage of actual games.
In the approval letter, the FAA explained that using a drone to capture aerial imagery is safer than using a manned aircraft because a drone operates without pilot, passenger, and flammable fuel. It said to grant the permit was “in the public interest.”
The approval came three months after the FAA announced that it was probing the Cowboys, Giants, and Patriots for their drone usage as flying drones for commercial purpose without clearance from the FAA is illegal.