Even at public universities, red tape and legal fears have spooked researchers who want to use drones. Larry Purcell, a crop scientist at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, has used the devices to monitor the effects of drought on soya beans. He did not know that he was required to fill out a 50-page application for each field he wanted to survey. Instead, he sought and obtained verbal permission from FAA staff at a local airport. Shortly after his university issued a press release about his work in 2011, Purcell received a cease-and-desist letter from the FAA’s regional office. “It’s still very confusing as to what’s allowed right now and what’s not,” he says. Purcell has turned to kites to carry his cameras aloft, but the compromise has its shortcomings: no wind means no data.
