Those waivers are hard to get. expensive too. most people need lawyers to get them through all the hoops.
Meaning no disrespect...have you gotten one of the waivers? "hard" and "expensive" aren't well defined terms in this context.
Part of the difficulty almost certainly revolves around people not knowing how to interact with government bureaucracies. Having
run a government bureaucracy, I know a bit about that! I'm currently working as a Government Contracts Advisor for the State of Nevada, helping small businesses sort through the complexities of doing business with the government.
It's likely that it's "easier" to get the second and subsequent waivers, after you've gotten the first one.
What the industry
really needs is a standardized, non-waiver-based, BVLOS (Beyond Visual Line of Sight) rating, similar to the instrument rating for Part 61 pilots. Based on my experience with my Mini-
2s, a competent instrument rated Part 61 pilot would have zero problem flying BVLOS.
In many cases, that might be safer than obsessively squinting with microscopic focus, trying to see the little thing off in the distance.
When you go for your Part 107 license, the FAA makes it
substantially easier to get the license, if you are a Part 61 pilot with a current BFR, as I am.
The instrument rating is a very close analog to what's needed to safely fly BVLOS. I've had my instrument rating for almost 40 years, and I've flown aircraft in the clouds that didn't have the awesome level of situational information provided by DJI Fly.
There should be a BVLOS path for anyone who wants to pursue it, but the path for instrument rated Part 61 pilots should be
vastly simpler and shorter. Instrument rated pilots have already put in most of the work that it takes to learn to safely fly BVLOS.
Many delivery companies want this, and I'm sure they've got money and legal manpower applied to make it happen with the FAA. I just don't know the current status of those discussions.
Perhaps initially, BVLOS should be limited to rural areas, where flights could be longer, with many fewer obstructions.
In other words, it should be allowed first in places like where I live...
We'll get there eventually!
TCS