It's now easier for commercial drone users to put their device in the air.
On Monday, the Federal Aviation Administration put a new regulation into effect that allows drone users to take a test and pass a Transportation Security Administration background check.
"It ensures that a burden on our industry and our department is relieved," said U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx.
Foxx spoke during a press conference Monday that was also attended by FAA members.
Mark Parrott, a West Palm Beach resident and drone user, watched that press conference.
He's had drones for only three years, and in that time he's created a film business that specializes in drone video.
Parrott said many drone users have been looking forward to the new FAA regulation.
"We've been waiting for something like this for so long. This is an amazing moment," he said.
Prior to Monday, those who wanted to use a drone for commercial use had to get a pilot's license and pass a TSA background check.
Parrott got his license, which cost him $10,000. He also had to log at least twenty hours of flight time.
"The knowledge is great and it's really helpful and important for drone users but not everything you learn in flying an airplane is the same as flying a drone," Parrott said.
He took the new FAA test on Monday and passed. Parrott said he spent a lot of time studying for the test, and wouldn't have passed it if it weren't for the hours spent preparing for it.
The new regulation will not only streamline the approval process for commercial drone users, but it'll also help the economy.
During the press conference Monday, Foxx said, "Over the next ten years, commercial unmanned aircraft systems will generate more than $82 billion for the U.S. economy and by 2025 could support 100,000 new jobs."
He said the use of drones could also save lives.
"There are literally dozens of missions that a drone could do that would put other lives at risk," Foxx said.
