If you saw the futuristic movie "The Giver" (Jeff Bridges and Meryl Streep) in theaters recently, you can visualize this: qualified pilot never leaves ground. Instead he flies drone aircraft from a little room, with a joystick and a screen. Well, the future is already here, and not just within the military.

It's also in the movies and outside the imagination, as in the making of them. The FAA announced this fall its first step in granting permission for movie companies to use unmanned aerial systems (UAS), otherwise known as drones, in film production. Other current and potential UAS applications include agriculture, weather monitoring, police surveillance, and Amazon's proposal to deliver packages with them. One day, even pizza, they say.

Drones certainly cause a stir. The unknown tends to breed fear and misunderstanding, so the FAA is working hard at myth-busting:

Myth: Unmanned aircraft are not aircraft.

Fact: Regardless of whether the operation is for recreational, hobby, business, or commercial purposes, UAS fit statutory definitions as "any contrivance invented, used, or designed to navigate or fly in the air" (U. S. Code) and "a device that is used or intended to be used for flight in the air" (Federal Aviation Regulations).

Myth: Unmanned aircraft are not subject to FAA regulation.

Fact: Like all aircraft, UAS are subject to FAA regulation and other laws.

Myth: The FAA doesn't control airspace below 400 feet.

Fact: The FAA is responsible for air safety from the ground up, and has broad authority to prescribe regulations to protect individuals and property on the ground, as well as prevent collisions between aircraft and other aircraft, land or water vehicles, and airborne objects.

Myth: UAS flights operated for commercial or business purposes are OK if the vehicle is small and operated over private property below 400 feet.

Fact: Not unless they meet all FAA requirements, like any other aircraft. All UAS operations for commercial or business purposes are subject to FAA regulation. At minimum, any such flights require a certified aircraft and a certificated pilot. UAS operations cannot be operated under the special rule for model aircraft.

To date, only a few UAS models have been certified for specialized commercial use (mostly in the Arctic. Public entities (federal, state and local governments and public universities) may apply for a Certificate of Waiver or Authorization (COA); the FAA reviews and approves UAS operations over densely-populated areas on a case-by-case basis.

Myth: There are too many commercial UAS operations for the FAA to stop.

Fact: The FAA has to prioritize its safety responsibilities, but the agency is monitoring UAS operations closely. Sometimes the FAA learns about suspected commercial UAS operations via a complaint from the public, resulting in legal enforcement actions.

Myth: Commercial UAS operations will be OK after Sept. 30, 2015.

Fact: In the 2012 FAA reauthorization legislation, Congress told the FAA to come up with a plan for "safe integration" of UAS by Sept. 30, 2015. "Safe integration" will be incremental. The agency is writing those regulations; December news reports including Agweb.com say delays may push back these regulations as late as 2017.

Myth: The FAA predicts as many as 30,000 drones by 2030.

Fact: That figure is outdated. It was an estimate in the FAA's 2011 Aerospace Forecast. Since then, the agency has refined its prediction to focus on the area of greatest expected growth. Once enabled, commercial markets will develop and demand will be created; the FAA estimates roughly 7,500 commercial UAS would be viable at the end of five years. Some still say that's conservative.

Sholeh Patrick is a pilot and a columnist for the Hagadone News Network. Contact her at Sholeh@cdapress.com.