Drones could be bringing parcels to your door within two years, thanks to a bill that left the Senate today. The bipartisan aviation policy bill, which passed the Senate 95-3 Tuesday, demands that the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) authorize package deliveries by drones within two years. The bill, which must now be debated by the House, also makes changes to various regulations including those affecting airport security and airplane pricing. It says that the agency must create a small drone'air carrier certificate' for operators of delivery drone fleets, similar to the safety certificates granted to commercial airlines. These rules are needed for Amazon and other companies to deploy fleets of delivery drones.

A line of passengers wait to enter the security checkpoint before boarding their aircraft at Reagan National Airport in Washington, April 25, 2013. WASHINGTON -- The Senate approved a bipartisan aviation policy bill Tuesday that would boost airport security, extend new protections to airline passengers and help speed the introduction of package-delivery drones. The bill, passed on a vote of 95-3, would also extend the Federal Aviation Administration's programs and powers through Oct. 1, 2017. That authority is due to expire July 15. A few hours before the vote, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said the legislation "will make important strides for our national security and for travelers. It does so without increasing fees or taxes on passengers. It does so without imposing heavy-handed regulations that can stifle consumers' choice."

From package delivery drones to bomb-sniffing dogs, a bill approved by the Senate on Tuesday makes extensive changes to aviation safety, security and consumer programs and policies. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

According to the bulletin, drone flights will not be permitted between 9pm on Thursday and 10:30am on Sunday over three separate areas. The first stretches from Haringey in the north of London down to Purley in the south, while the second aims to cover the skies when the Obamas join the Queen for launch at Windsor Castle as part of her 90th birthday celebrations. During those four days, drones or any other form of small aircraft will not be allowed to fly below 762 metres (2,500 feet). While similar rules have been put in force for other important occasions and high-profile events, the presidential visit comes just days after a drone struck a British Airways plane preparing to land at Heathrow Airport. London police believe a UAV was flying flying at approximately 1,700 feet when it struck BA727 shortly after midday on Sunday.

Quietly, Australian postal engineers are building the future. Delivery drones were born first as whimsy and then as marketing, lofty ambitions placed on clumsy, flying toys. We saw them in commercials as gimmicks and on 60 Minutes as a promise of the future. And then, slowly, the flash faded. Amazon's multirotor machine gained a bulky, plane-like body.

Sometimes you need a cute little quadcopter to play with at a family picnic. Other times, you need a six-rotor pro-level monster drone that looks like it spends nights and weekends hunting for Sarah Connor. Like, say, the DJI Matrice 600. Unlike most drones you've heard of, the M600 does not work as a lazy dad-gift. At 4,600, only filmmakers, photographers and other professional need apply.

You could be sent to prison and charged with a felony for shooting a drone from the sky. According to the federal law, 18 USC S 32, anyone who willfully'sets fire to, damages, destroys, or wrecks an aircraft' will be fined or imprisoned no more than 20 years or both. And the FAA says drones fall into the category of'aircraft' and threatening anyone operating a drone is also punishable with jail time. According to the federal law, 18 USC S 32, anyone who willfully'sets fire to, damages, destroys, or wrecks an aircraft' will be fined or imprisoned no more than 20 years or both. And experts say drones fall into the category of'aircraft' and threatening anyone operating a drone falls is also punishable with jail time The law says that if you attempt to shoot down a flying robot from the sky, you could face up to two decades behind bars, and/or be handed a fine up to a quarter of a million dollars.

A NASA-developed air traffic control system for drones could take a major step forward this week when up to 24 drones take to the skies from locations across the U.S. in the agency's first coordinated test. Called UTM, for unmanned aircraft system traffic management, the platform is seen as a key safety system that would allow greater numbers of drones to fly in the sky and avoid mid-air collisions with piloted aircraft and other drones. It allows drone operators to enter a flight plan and request clearance for the flight. The system checks the plan for conflicts with other planned drone flights and accepts or rejects it. For example, a farmer could program a drone flight above her land, effectively reserving it for a certain period of time, and then carry out the flight in the knowledge that a delivery drone scheduled to arrive at the same time will automatically calculate a path to avoid a collision.

As British Airways flight BA727 from Geneva approached the runway at London's Heathrow airport on Sunday, something unexpectedly hit the front of the plane. On board were 132 passengers and five crew. Thankfully, the aircraft was not damaged and landed safely. But a police investigation has been launched and, if the object is confirmed as a drone, it will be the first known collision of its kind in the UK. What can be done to stop this happening again?

A British Airways pilot told authorities that he believes his jet struck a drone as it approached for landing at Heathrow Airport Sunday. A British Airways pilot told authorities that he believes his jet struck a drone as it approached for landing at Heathrow Airport Sunday. British police are investigating what could be the first known case of a drone colliding with a passenger aircraft, after a pilot told authorities that he believed his jet hit a drone as it flew into Heathrow Airport from Geneva Sunday. "The flight landed at Heathrow Terminal 5 safely," police say. But they add that "an object, believed to be a drone, had struck the front of the aircraft."