FAA, Local & State Laws.... Wishful Thinking

[Ray&Paula]

My 2 cents...... As a hobbyist, I've been wanting to purchase a Mavic Pro for some time now. BUT..... Between all the controversy of FAA and state & local rules and regulations I've become hesitant. I do understand the basic rules here in the USA such as;

• Fly at or below 400 feet
• Keep your UAS within sight
• Never fly near other aircraft, especially near airports
• Never fly over groups of people
• Never fly over stadiums or sports events
• Never fly near emergency response efforts such as fires
• Never fly under the influence
• Be aware of airspace requirements
• Privacy

I can live with these rules along with registering (no longer needed as of 05-20-2017). Also, I.M.O. everyone should fly safely and responsibly. I would like to see a state by state list of where you can fly and/or not fly other than apps such as b4ufly. In other words, it would be nice if local city and state governments would have a simple list such as above. I do realize that this is wishful thinking and would in all likelihood never happen. It would resolve a lot of misunderstood laws in your own backyard and/or when traveling. If there are such lists, I haven't found them yet. Thanks for letting me vent my thoughts and have a happy 4th of July. Ray

 

[msinger]

I can live with these rules along with registering (no longer needed as of 05-20-2017).

According to John Taylor (the guy who took the FAA to court), registration is still required as of today. See more details in his case update here.

it would be nice if local city and state governments would have a simple list such as above

The complete list of rules hobbyists must follow (per US law) can be found on the FAA's website here. While most of the items are pretty straight-forward, "must follow community-based safety guidelines" is very vague. Not even the FAA can explain what it means. Therefore, I don't know if the rules are really that simple. That rule seems to leave the door wide open for the FAA (or US law) to do as they please.

 

[Ray&Paula]

Thanks for the link..... This is exactly what I mean about "controversy" along with misunderstanding. I see articles like this along with a lot of opposing one's. I came across this pdf from the FAA here dated May/June 2017 Safety Briefing. This report points to the need of registering found in the last paragraph on page 29. On the flip side, I also came across this video here the other day. This is some of the reasons for confusion.....

You couldn't have picked a better word "vague"...... Being vague helps all of us to lean towards fines, etc. due to not knowing the local laws. This is my reason for wishful thinking. Thanks, Ray

 

[Threshold]

Local ordinances are starting to be pass which further complicates drones. Some examples I've looked at are "not flying over private property", which is technically not enforceable since airspace is FAA jurisdiction.

In my opinion, if you are flying from property with permission, and you fly over private property, no law would be broken. But if you manage to crash on private property, you might get sued.

 

[Ray&Paula]

Local ordinances are starting to be pass which further complicates drones. Some examples I've looked at are "not flying over private property", which is technically not enforceable since airspace is FAA jurisdiction.

In my opinion, if you are flying from property with permission, and you fly over private property, no law would be broken. But if you manage to crash on private property, you might get sued.

I would have to agree with you........

 

[Flycaster]

I think the US Court of Appeals struck this down? I believe it was just this May 17th.

Appeals court strikes down FAA drone registration rule

Now, of course, you still have to register if you fly commecially/for money, or
"Any furtherance of a business".....

 

[msinger]

I think the US Court of Appeals struck this down? I believe it was just this May 17th.

See my post above for an update on that case.

 

[KaiservonPoopChute]

Regardless of the update by Taylor I go by what the FAA site states which is they "encourage" you to register your drone. There is a difference between encourage and require. When and if they change the rules back to registration being a requirement then I will do so at that time but until then I'll keep my $5 in my pocket for some coffee and a bagel.

 

[msinger]

There is a difference between encourage and require.

True. It depends on where you're looking though. On this page or this page of the FAA website, they use the word "must".

 

[KaiservonPoopChute]

True. It depends on where you're looking though. On this page or this page of the FAA website, they use the word "must".

Those pages were last modified in February of this year. Their homepage for UAS' states otherwise and was last modified on May 25th. That's my defense and I'm sticking to it.

In all seriousness, I don't see a big deal with registration and would gladly register my Mavic if and when it becomes a requirement. I just find it unfortunate that those out there that have decided to fly their drones in an unsafe and unlawful manner have forced all of this government overreach making it difficult for the rest of us to determine what is right and what is wrong. Can we fly here? Can we fly there? Can we fly over private property and if so at what height? It's too much for the average drone hobbiest to follow and makes the whole experience less enjoyable.

 

[msinger]

Their homepage for UAS' states otherwise and was last modified on May 25th.

That's par for the course. From my experience working with the FAA, I found they don't like to give clear answers on most topics.

 

[Ray&Paula]

That's par for the course. From my experience working with the FAA, I found they don't like to give clear answers on most topics.

My 2 pennies worth....... If they were clear........ that would mean less fines......... Less fines, less revenue.

 

[Doyleh13]

That's par for the course. From my experience working with the FAA, I found they don't like to give clear answers on most topics.

Asking for clarification from the FAA is like asking a cop about the penal code. You'll likely get a different answer with every person that's asked.

 

[Flycaster]

But what will be probably worse, and problematic, is that if/when the individual States start making their own laws/regs.( likely because of this ruling), that they are going to be inconsistent,
And we'll be right back in "the State of Confusion"...
Sorry for the pun.....

 

[msinger]

Asking for clarification from the FAA is like asking a cop about the penal code. You'll likely get a different answer with every person that's asked.

Yes, it's all very frustrating. The FAA must spend mass amounts of money and time employing people to go out and mislead/confuse the public. Meanwhile, they are telling everyone they are all about keeping the sky safe. None of it makes much sense.

 

[TheWolfen]

If I had the time to do it, I'd love to create an all-encompassing site that tracks all local, state and national rules for uav's in the US. However, that's probably more than a full time job and way more than I could ever do. Maybe someone else will but it is probably a near-impossible task.

 

[WEOTN]

I would like to see a state by state list of where you can fly and/or not fly other than apps such as b4ufly. In other words, it would be nice if local city and state governments would have a simple list such as above.

I would like to see a national registry of all drone regulations/restrictions by any governing body, public or private. And if it isn't published there, it isn't enforceable. Put the onus on the nay-sayers. A standard signage should be required as well, just like No Tresspass must be posted to be enforced.

One can wish....

 

[danman999]

Those pages were last modified in February of this year. Their homepage for UAS' states otherwise and was last modified on May 25th. That's my defense and I'm sticking to it.

In all seriousness, I don't see a big deal with registration and would gladly register my Mavic if and when it becomes a requirement. I just find it unfortunate that those out there that have decided to fly their drones in an unsafe and unlawful manner have forced all of this government overreach making it difficult for the rest of us to determine what is right and what is wrong. Can we fly here? Can we fly there? Can we fly over private property and if so at what height? It's too much for the average drone hobbiest to follow and makes the whole experience less enjoyable.

Look at all the people biting at the bit to hack the Mavic to fly at dangerous altitudes within controlled airspace. These are the ones making restrictions necessary, and there seems to be quite a few of them.

 

[Syphon]

I was going to make a website that detailed rules and ordinances by City, County & State. As I started the project, I realized how impossible it would be to keep up with. I found myself having to reach out directly to local governments to find out their rules as they don't make them clear on their sites or ordinances. Even more crazy, when I talked with police and parks of several cities, they told me they are not clear on what the rules in their own city are. I gave up on the project as just gathering information of the 7 cities around me in just one county was so difficult, I could not imagine trying to do it for a larger area.