"Rainmaker Technology's bid to deploy cloud-seeding flares on small drones is being met by resistance from the airline pilots union, which has urged the Federal Aviation Administration to consider denying the startup's request unless it meets stricter safety guidelines. The Federal Aviation Administration's decision will signal how the regulator views weather-modification by unmanned aerial systems going forward. Rainmaker's bet on small drones hangs in the balance."
"The Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) told the FAA that Rainmaker's petition "fails to demonstrate an equivalent level of safety" and poses "an extreme safety risk." Rainmaker is seeking an exemption from rules that bar small drones from carrying hazardous materials. The startup filed in July, and the FAA has yet to rule. Instead, it issued a follow up request for information, pressing for specifics on operations and safety."
"In its filing, Rainmaker proposed using two flare types, one "burn-in-place" and the other ejectable, on its Elijah quadcopter, to disperse particles that stimulate precipitation. Elijah has a maximum altitude of 15,000 feet MSL (measured from sea level), which sits inside controlled airspace where commercial airliners routinely fly. Drones need permission from Air Traffic Control to fly inside this bubble."
Rainmaker Technology seeks an FAA exemption to allow small drones to carry cloud-seeding flares classified as hazardous materials. The company proposes using burn-in-place and ejectable flares on an Elijah quadcopter that can reach 15,000 feet MSL, inside controlled airspace. The Air Line Pilots Association urges the FAA to deny the petition, calling it an extreme safety risk and saying it fails to demonstrate equivalent safety. The FAA requested further operational and safety details. ALPA raises concerns about unspecified flight locations and altitudes, foreign object debris, fire hazards, ejectable-case trajectory modeling, and environmental impacts. Rainmaker plans flights over rural, privately owned land.
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