FAA Rules and Regulations Posted Here

[Strafe1]

In an effort to eliminate most of the confusion about RECREATIONAL sUAS flying in the United States, I have gathered the relevant law and regulations posted by the FAA and the US government.
The US law is published as Public Law 112-95 Sec. 336.
The FAA regulations for flying are broken down by 1) Recreational, or 2)For Work fliers.
Tha AMA is a national based organization that many refer to for additional guidance. Their guidelines are primarily written for designated events and specific locations where flight lines are established. Most don't apply to sUAS pilots, but there is some general information that may be applicable.
There are NoFlyZones that can be found on Apps like B4UFly that are important to know about and obey, for the protection of people, and wildlife. Also, please check local city and park ordinances regarding model aircraft flight.

SOME QUICK TAKEAWAYS: YOU SHOULD MAINTAIN VISUAL LINE OF SIGHT. NO 400' AGL HEIGHT RESTRICTION UNLESS WITHIN 3 MILES OF AN AIRPORT. FLYING AT NIGHT IS OK.

The purpose of the laws in regulations are to not endanger the National Airspace, and minimize the risk to persons and property. Please fly with caution and respect for other people!

PUBLIC LAW

FAA REGULATIONS


AMA SAFETY CODE



MISCELLANEOUS FROM THE FAA




AMA DOCUMENT 560

 

[Strafe1]

MODERATOR...I posted this in the wrong section. I wanted to put it in the Mavic Pro Discussions section....

 

[iajetpilot]

Strafe, a quick question...As far as you know, if I get a part 107 license do the commercial flying rules apply to every flight I do even if it isn't a commercial flight? For example, once I get the license and am just flying for fun near my house am I limited to 400 AGL under the commercial rules or can I fly higher as the flight isn't a commercial flight?

 

[msinger]

if I get a part 107 license do the commercial flying rules apply to every flight I do even if it isn't a commercial flight?

No. You decide if the flight is commercial or just for fun before you take off and follow the appropriate set of rules.

 

[SteelFlyer]

Strafe, a quick question...As far as you know, if I get a part 107 license do the commercial flying rules apply to every flight I do even if it isn't a commercial flight? For example, once I get the license and am just flying for fun near my house am I limited to 400 AGL under the commercial rules or can I fly higher as the flight isn't a commercial flight?

No, while it is not well documented (I have only found it in a webcast that the FAA did, as a commercial pilot you can conduct flights either under commercial rules or recreational rules. The key point is that a flight has to be one or the other and you must choose which one PRIOR to the flight. I have chosen to document this in my pre-flight checklist. Of course if you choose a flight as recreational, you could not then later use any of the images or video for commercial purposes.

 

[iajetpilot]

Awesome! Thanks guys for clearing that up. I'm quite familiar with how vague the FAA rules can be as I fly commercially for a living. A lot of rules that are vague get settled by letters from the FAA which are then quoted for new cases.

 

[JethroXP]

Speaking of vague, I see in the FAA "Safety Guidelines for Recreational UAS / Model Aircraft Users" this bullet point:

- Don't fly near people or stadiums

So first off, what constitutes "near", and does this mean you can't fly over people, regardless of altitude?