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New FAA Rules Allow US Companies To Fly Drones Without a Pilot's License (faa.gov)
On Tuesday, the Obama administration announced new rules for commercial drones. It states that drone pilots can now fly without waiting to get permission from the government. Previously, commercial operators were required to apply for a waiver from the FAA to operate small drones for commercial purposes. According to the new regulation, a drone must weigh less than 25kg, and it must fly under 400 feet (122m) and at a maximum speed of 161km per hour. DJI spokesman Adam Lisberg said: This is a major development for the future of drones in America. It means that businesses and farmers and government agencies and academic researchers can put drones to work without having to get an airplane pilot's license or follow other onerous rules. Those were pretty high barriers to entry. Part 107 is a vote of confidence from the FAA that drones can be safely integrated into the national airspace, and that a wider adoption of drones for all sorts of non-recreational uses will bring real benefits to America.More coverage on The Verge, and Reuters.
The actual rules seem to say that you DO need a license to fly a drone commercially. TFS and TFA do not agree on this one.
TFS says you don't need an airplane pilot license. Under the old rules, a commercial UAS operator had to have an airplane pilot license. Under the new rules, the requirement is for an operator to "be at least 16 years old and have a remote pilot certificate with a small UAS rating, or be directly supervised by someone with such a certificate."
If you look at the requirements for a "remote pilot certificate"
I did look. 16 hours of web-based in-home ground school, 10 hours of in-home UAV/Drone PC-based simulator, and 16 hours of hands-on flight training at a training facility. That doesn't sound to onerous to me. And you don't need any certification at all if all you're doing is flying in your back yard, as long as it's not for commercial purposes.