How do I best explain to follow FAA rules to a new operator of a drone?

[jaja6009]

A friend recently got a new Mavic 2 Pro as he had been planning to get for a few months. He texted me to let me know he got it and I then told him to call me up before he flew it just so I could make sure he knew all of the things that needed to be done first.
I typed up a nice list starting with register the drone, apply the reg #, read all of the manual, read all of the FAA rules for recreational use and alot of other things. I talked to him today to tell him that I needed his email so I could send him the list I typed up. He said he already took the drone for a few flights in his backyard. I asked if he registered it and he said no, he just took it for a flight to see if he liked it in case he wanted to send it back. I also know that he lives in Class C airspace so I know that on his first flights he has already broken several FAA rules. Not a good start. I tried to tell him on the phone about this but he did not seem interested in the least. How do I go about this without sounding like a scolding nanny?

I myself when i started flying did break rules, but between forums like this, taking in person drone training and taking a professional interest in becoming a professional and safe 107 certificated pilot I learned the error of my ways and now fly like a true professional.

Should I just email him the list and say following all the FAA rules makes it better for all drone pilots and hope he catches on? I really do not want to come off as a know it all, and as someone who likes to nag, but an instructor in a drone class really left an impression on me and set me and others in the class straight. He asked everyone what if any FAA rules have you broken. A lot of hands went up for those of us who were being honest. He asked which rules we broke. Then went on with a truly good speech about how we are harming ourselves, others and professional and recreational drone pilots by our actions. It left the correct impression on me and now I fly as a true professional and attempt to leave this impression from that instructor on others.

 

[Brockrock]

We are definitely still at a point in this growing industry - particularity when it comes to recreational use - where we need to police ourselves as needed, so you are doing the right thing and asking the right questions.

I would call him again and ask if he plans to keep the UAV. If so, I would inform him that you are willing to walk him through the process of registering himself with the FAA as a recreational UAV pilot, and I would then ask him what his plans are with it. If it was something he planned to get for months and then did so, he should have some idea why he wanted it. I would then explain the process of becoming commercially certified - which I am as well - and the importance, at this stage in his flying, of abiding by the rules. Remember, some people are wired to just blindly follow rules - or conventions - while others are willing to follow them if they understood why the rules are in place. Of course, there are also those who don't care about rules at all, but they normally get their comeuppance some other way...

 

[GregE]

Well written Brockrock

Jaja, hope your buddy becomes an asset, not a liability to our sport.
With your encouragement I think he will.

 

[dronerdave]

Many people watch old youtube videos that were made prior to the FAA applying the more specific rules that are in place today. In your class I would have had to raised my hand as well but I've stayed w/i compliance since the rules changed a year or so ago. A lot of folks see those older videos and feel it's still wide open to do as they did in the past. It helps create a lackadaisical attitude with some newbies especially by those who feel these quads are more of a toy. Many don't have a clue about airspace. Not saying your friend is in that groove but it's common. Maybe show em a sectional of the airspace he's flying in and explain what could go wrong if the thing got away from him. Coming off as a professional and trying to help him get on the right track is about the best thing you can do.

 

[msinger]

How do I go about this without sounding like a scolding nanny?

Email/text him a link to this page:

Recreational Flyers & Modeler Community-Based Organizations

www.faa.gov

 

[old man mavic]

@jaja6009 you can take a horse to water but you can't make it drink ,
your concerns for your friend ,and our pastime are honourable,
i am in agreement with you all the way,you can only advise him as to the rules
unfortunately if he is not prepared to listen then he will have to suffer the consequences of his actions
when giving him advice break it down into sections

(1)how and why registration is needed
(2)the consequences of none compliance
(3)the reasons for complying ie air safety

 

[BullDoggBoyz]

Like others have stated, you are TRYING to do the right thing and nurture a future responsible pilot, which is commendable. That being said, some people have more $ than common sense, and some are just rebels...It's just what they do. I'd try and explain the current situation of our hobby/craft and make it very clear that because of those who do not follow the guidelines/laws, drone life as we know it is in serious jeopardy. Hopefully you can cultivate him going forward. If not, at least you know you tried. No offense, but he kind of sounds like a hard headed, rush to get in the air kind of person, without doing his due diligence reading through the manual, looking over the laws, etc. Frankly, those types generally "Crash and burn" in a literal sense, fairly quickly. Let's just hope nobody gets hurt from a lesson he may learn the hard way. Good luck!

 

[steve_lyt]

I think your friend is going through the I got a new toy syndrome. in the back yard/ garden, al long as you keep within the boundary and below roof height , whilst it illegal in class c airspace, its not going to cause problems, until you go out and fly in a area the public can go then you would need to register and follow all the code rules. im not condoning breaking the rules and I stick to the rules. just offer to be there if they needs help. you cant do more

 

[DoomMeister]

A friend recently got a new Mavic 2 Pro as he had been planning to get for a few months. He texted me to let me know he got it and I then told him to call me up before he flew it just so I could make sure he knew all of the things that needed to be done first.
I typed up a nice list starting with register the drone, apply the reg #, read all of the manual, read all of the FAA rules for recreational use and alot of other things. I talked to him today to tell him that I needed his email so I could send him the list I typed up. He said he already took the drone for a few flights in his backyard. I asked if he registered it and he said no, he just took it for a flight to see if he liked it in case he wanted to send it back. I also know that he lives in Class C airspace so I know that on his first flights he has already broken several FAA rules. Not a good start. I tried to tell him on the phone about this but he did not seem interested in the least. How do I go about this without sounding like a scolding nanny?

I myself when i started flying did break rules, but between forums like this, taking in person drone training and taking a professional interest in becoming a professional and safe 107 certificated pilot I learned the error of my ways and now fly like a true professional.

Should I just email him the list and say following all the FAA rules makes it better for all drone pilots and hope he catches on? I really do not want to come off as a know it all, and as someone who likes to nag, but an instructor in a drone class really left an impression on me and set me and others in the class straight. He asked everyone what if any FAA rules have you broken. A lot of hands went up for those of us who were being honest. He asked which rules we broke. Then went on with a truly good speech about how we are harming ourselves, others and professional and recreational drone pilots by our actions. It left the correct impression on me and now I fly as a true professional and attempt to leave this impression from that instructor on others.

Be totally open with your friend about your passion to fly safely and legally. I agree with another member about showing him a sectional chart (or AirMap, Kittyhawk, etc.) showing the Class C airspace he is in, then explain the procedure he needs to follow when he flys there. Using FAA DroneZone he can get a waiver for extended periods of time for the area he flies in, like his backyard. If he is a real friend, he will understand your position seeing as it is also part of your business as a 107 pilot.

 

[emvision]

Common sense.

 

[hiflyer201]

See something say something that's all you can do. As the voice of experience you should tell him why you do things the way you do.
You could mention that if we don't do things the right way it's possible that we won't be doing them at all.
he say's as one who has never done anything wrong

 

[DroningOn]

Perusing the thread, did this person do anything that was unsafe? Did I miss something?

 

[steve_lyt]

maybe just flew it around the garden, to see if it was for them.

 

[old man mavic]

Perusing the thread, did this person do anything that was unsafe? Did I miss something?

the point of this thread as i personally see it,is that the OP was trying to prevent his friend from losing his drone or falling fowl of the law by giving him some advice ,but his friend did not seem to want to take it on board, the fact that people are just buying a drone and flying it without considering what is required,is not helping with trying to convince the public that they are not the evil devices that some would have them believe

 

[Ty Pilot]

As I read this thread, I don't really see focus of the conversation being about safety but rather about a new pilot that is dismissive of the rules, which many believe, that a continuation of; will almost certainly lead to flights that are unsafe. Rules are in place to keep people safe therefore breaking them (while the action in and of itself may be harmless) is unsafe.

 

[Mrmund]

This is a great question!
As I meet people and encourage them to get into UAS I'm always concerned that they'll pick one up without understanding the ramifications of their flights. Next thing you know they "will have had a fly away"( crashing on to the runway directly behind their backyard of course), we all know how that'll reflect on us.
If we as a group could come with a short check list, say 15 steps or so to give to new or aspiring pilots to get them safely on their way it would really help our hobby/industry move forward without so many incidents causing more regulations impeding responsible pilots like us.
I met a couple yesterday when I was flying, they were both very interested and the wife even intimated that she'd be getting one for her husband for his upcoming birthday. I tried to cover some basic safety/legal points but found it difficult in a seven minute conversation while still being encouraging. What was I supposed to say when the husband said how he would love one for progress photos for his construction projects? "So actually to do that there's this 60 question test you have to... Blah blah blah". If I could have pulled out and index card from my bag with a 'How to start droning' list printed on the front and a list of resources on the back like this forum and some UAS apps it would have gone so much better and I wouldn't have felt like I was setting this guy up to be irresponsible.
Any one interested in this idea feel free to DM me and we'll start putting something together. We can "shop it around" here to some better suggestions and come up with something great.

 

[DoomMeister]

This is a great question!
As I meet people and encourage them to get into UAS I'm always concerned that they'll pick one up without understanding the ramifications of their flights. Next thing you know they "will have had a fly away"( crashing on to the runway directly behind their backyard of course), we all know how that'll reflect on us.
If we as a group could come with a short check list, say 15 steps or so to give to new or aspiring pilots to get them safely on their way it would really help our hobby/industry move forward without so many incidents causing more regulations impeding responsible pilots like us.
I met a couple yesterday when I was flying, they were both very interested and the wife even intimated that she'd be getting one for her husband for his upcoming birthday. I tried to cover some basic safety/legal points but found it difficult in a seven minute conversation while still being encouraging. What was I supposed to say when the husband said how he would love one for progress photos for his construction projects? "So actually to do that there's this 60 question test you have to... Blah blah blah". If I could have pulled out and index card from my bag with a 'How to start droning' list printed on the front and a list of resources on the back like this forum and some UAS apps it would have gone so much better and I wouldn't have felt like I was setting this guy up to be irresponsible.
Any one interested in this idea feel free to DM me and we'll start putting something together. We can "shop it around" here to some better suggestions and come up with something great.

In this thread I see several that would be a good resource to start such a list at least two fly drones other than DJI also. Count me in if you wish to do this.

 

[dronerdave]

Be totally open with your friend about your passion to fly safely and legally. I agree with another member about showing him a sectional chart (or AirMap, Kittyhawk, etc.) showing the Class C airspace he is in, then explain the procedure he needs to follow when he flys there. Using FAA DroneZone he can get a waiver for extended periods of time for the area he flies in, like his backyard. If he is a real friend, he will understand your position seeing as it is also part of your business as a 107 pilot.

I agree. Maybe also explain how NFZ's work and why. Most of the time I refer to people who fly "drones" for fun as operators but if you participate in flying an advanced RC craft in the national air space along with manned aircraft you are actually the PIC...Pilot in command. It's why you need to take the time to do a pre-flight check before takeoff in making sure everything goes right. Perhaps if he feels more like a real pilot he might embrace the rules and abided by them. Sure some will say it's just a little toy or birds are more of a threat to actual aircraft but maybe ask him if he was flying a full sized aircraft how he would feel if a drone was in his flight path. The risk might be low for a collision but the drone PIC isn't jeopardizing his/her life; they're threatening manned aircraft or manned aircraft operations. I'd also suggest that more fly-aways or crashes occur due to pilot error and that happens more often with newbies due to their lack of knowledge.

 

[steve_lyt]

the mavic 2 pro has geofencing , so it should not even take off

 

[Billymod]

After reading this thread, I followed the above directions and registered with the FAA. I am glad I read this thread, thanks a bunch guys. I just picked up my drone last week in a trade for one of my airsoft guns for a Mavic Pro with a ton of accessories and 3 batteries. This thing is amazing, just need this bloody rain to stop.

cheers!
Bill