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No Drone Zone

No Drone Zone

by | Sep 16, 2015 | UAV

Well, it seems everybody is taking shots at the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) phenomenon, in particular, the so-called drone. The media has been able to capture our attention with the potential crash of an airliner by a drone. However one pilot said, “Fear of drones crashing into passenger planes is ‘much ado about nothing’ says airline pilot.” Most of these hobby drones are under 4 pounds, and many pilots have hit birds weighing up to 10 pounds with no real damage.  Still the fear of the unknown exists. There is also the next door neighbor who may threaten to shoot your drone down if it invades their privacy. Well, many have gone to jail by committing the act. Source Property Casualty 360, “Shooting down drones” is all over the news lately. A Kentucky man used “Number 8 birdshot” to shoot down a multi-rotor over his backyard. A Modesto marksman shot down a drone over his neighbor’s farm. A New Jersey Man hit the news for doing the same thing.” All aviation regulations apply to drones. Hobbyist drone flights are permitted only under the FAA’s guidelines. Commercial drone flights are allowed only for a Section 333 Exemption or similar approval. You should know before you fly and that is the way things are until the FAA finalizes its “ small drone,” or “sUAS” rule. To be safe, in many of the regulations the term “nationwide community-based organization” is intended to mean a membership-based association that represents the aeromodelling community (ex. Academy of Model Aeronautics, AMA) within the United States; provides its members a comprehensive set of safety guidelines that underscores...
People using FAA loopholes for UAV publicity?

People using FAA loopholes for UAV publicity?

by | Aug 4, 2015 | UAV

While searching for an interesting topic I happened across an article about amateur drone pilots. There has been a drone pilot group formed by Austrian R/C enthusiasts and salespeople called “Team Blacksheep”. They are traveling around the world with drone aircraft capturing images of flights for publicity tactics. Team Blacksheep is using a loophole in the new FAA standards to accomplish this. The latest flight was around the Golden Gate Bridge. According to the article (link at the bottom) amateur pilots do not need FAA waivers to operate drone aircraft as long as they remain in the pilots line of sight and do not fly above 400 feet. The group is pulling this by because they are non profit. Any drone flown for business purposes are required to apply for a FAA waiver. Everyone from fire and police departments and private business owners are going through the strict FAA rules governing UAV operations. Even Amazon is planning to be delivering packages less than 30 miles of a distribution center with the use of drone technology in the not so distant future. The latest predictions are saying that there will be over 30,000 drones in operation through waivers for businesses by 2030. What are groups like “Team Blacksheep” doing to the AMA’s efforts to work through this regulation writing with the FAA?  ...
People using FAA loopholes for UAV publicity?

UAV common ground

by | Jun 17, 2015 | UAV

It seems that the real ground breaking common ground achieved between the FAA and the AMA is the “Know Before You Fly” campaign. It is a great educational guide for everyone interested in UAVs and there is even a devoted website.  http://knowbeforeyoufly.org/ I had no idea that there was so much information in one place for UAV pilots or people considering getting into UAV operations. There is even a organization called AUVSI (Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International ). AUVSI is the world’s largest nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of unmanned systems and robotics. It represents more than 7,500 members from 60+ allied countries. The organizations members work in the defense, civil and commercial markets. You should check this website out if you are remotely interested in getting into UAV operations and if you already are then it is a must...