Draft U.S. Rules on Commercial Drones Keep Some Restrictions on Use

The U.S. aviation regulator proposed rules on Sunday for flying drones for commercial purposes that would lift some restrictions but would still limit activities such as inspections of pipelines that have been eyed by companies as a potentially breakthrough use of the technology.

The long-awaited draft rules from the Federal Aviation Administration governing use of unmanned aircraft require pilots to obtain special pilot certificates, stay away from bystanders and fly only during the day. They limit flying speed to 100 miles per hour (160 kph) and the altitude to 500 feet (152 meters) ab