Where The Hell Can I fly My Drone??
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- čas přidán 22. 08. 2024
- This clip is a discussion of the conflict that exists between the FAA regulations and local towns and municipalities banning drone use. Please comment below to let me know your thoughts.
I agree. I'm sick of hunting a place to flight.
I totally agree with the 100-400ft marks, and public spaces,(beach, parks etc) should not have any rules more restrictive than federal rules. As far as changing public perception of r/c hobby aircraft, be it fixed wing, heli, or quad. Should be referred to as such, model aircraft. Not DRONE. The media has negatively stained that particular word and has an immediate negative effect on the general population that is not in the hobby and they go on defensive mode. I am just a novice quad pilot but experienced fixed wing. I have flown planes in my neighborhood for years with no issues. First flight with my little Syma and my grumpy neighbor comes out and asked if it was" one of them drones". I said no, it is a hobby quadcopter. He was ok with that answer.
Amen to that!
The entire "having to be a pilot" thing was not the media though....The people who wanted to charge $2000 per hr for drone photography/Video are actually the ones who wrote the federal legislation. You can be a hobbyist and pretty much fly unadulterated ...but the second you make $1....you must be a pilot. This WAS INTENTIONAL!! It's all a scam. Period. As soon as DJI started pumping out the drones, and people offered photography at a "reasonable" price...they went into action.
Call it a udo they can not do nothing put the name udo on it same with plane helicopter bike car just put udo you named it so the object is udo undentified object just admit
i don't know or we don't know what this object is must be undentified object that what it written on here simple and put name of property just put numbers and have numders to proof or dog or cat that is registered number and name this called salvage search it
I'm finding that often when a Park attendant approaches me when I'm flying and tells me that I can't fly in a certain area there is actually no statute against it. Somebody with nothing better to do will complain to an attendant and they will make a 'law' on the spot just to avoid hearing the bitching. What I will do is land my drone first then ask the attendant to direct me to where I can see the 'rule' in writing banning my drone. I want to see it on their website or on a sign or something and they usually have no answer for that.
JohnIn WayneNewJersey You're correct no park police are attendant is able to issue citations for drone use over the land. The airspace does not belong to the city parks or county parks. Where are you are wrong is that the police or city attended is not obligated to show you any rules of theirs. They are not teachers are instructors. Hey park attendant or park police are not even able to issue a citation if a full-size piper cub lands in there park. It is unlawful for anyone to create a law under the color of authority. Enjoy your drone flying.
And you're obviously an idiot! I don't fly over crowds of people buzzing around over their heads. What gives you the right to determine what activities should be permitted in any given area? I've seen children with their bicycles run into people in parks and cause minor injury to people walking, should bikes be prohibited? How about frisbees and baseballs? They cause way more injuries and property a damage than drones so perhaps they should be prohibited also. What is obnoxious is someone who thinks that just because they don't like something it should be prohibited. Don't be so paranoid, nobody is trying to look down your blouse from a drone 200' up on the air!
Wow, you read a lot into what I wrote! Another difference between you and me is I don't have that over-inflated sense of self importance that would cause me to think that my enjoyment of a park supersedes anybody elses. Perhaps you are also ignorant of the difference between a park and a playground. You do realize that there are parks where they allow dirt bike motorcycles, powered boats and off road vehicles. I think you should go back to yelling at your husband and stop being mad at the the whole world just because your kitty stinks. Try a douche once in a while, some FDS, open a window and viola!
But you are a moron. thats for sure. I am not speaking for the idiots that have no respect for the drone rules but I fly professionally and am licensed. Our flying is part of my work. Best you shift if a big bad drone annoys you.
JohnIn WayneNewJersey my having been a park ranger I would examine the facts as I know them now and you'd be history. One being, any official so authorized has Reasonable cause based on complaints to investigate.... if what you are doing is judged to be putting public safety at risk you must comply per the law. You must understand sir every government park has its own rules ordinances etc etc. In regards he cannot, pure Internet lore. That is what courts are for, he can depending on his own knowledge of the law, coupled with his evidence based on his knowledge (see reasonableness in front of a judge, say? CZcams videos of drones injuring folks at weddings etc etc) Yup! I could obtain and be prepared to show in a court of law not only the reasonable cause, but also the probable cause to arrest. Then of course there is "obstructing an officer during the course of his investigation, resisting arrest so on. You see sir? Such encounters are based on education level of each officer.
Hence, I believe the general confusion. It is very simular to Calif weapons laws, Such laws are enacted by people whom know little to nothing...
I have been thinking about buying a drone and getting into this hobby, but this is sort of killing my enthusiasm. I need to think about where I might be able to fly one without breaking the law or angering people.....before I buy.
Raven, you should try it before you spout off. It truly is fun and amazing video can be had without being a voyeur. Also many toy grade Quads do not have cameras, its just fun to fly.
RetakingHumanity funny how all those laws work, huh. While I agree with your last points, drone pros outweigh the cons imo.
But they are ok with their smart phone spying on them.
Chris Romero too many rules and regulations. Once there is too much regulation I'm selling my drones . Can't be bothered with it all. I am safety orientated with a FAA Pilot license but too many rules and regs for drones regs spoil it big time
If it just wasn't so convoluted and more straight fwd I couldn't think of a better hobby than model aircraft. Keep the pilots informed and the public off your back. It makes me laugh that ppl would think I actually care about what your doing in your backyard unless of course your hovering for more than a moment at 50 ft. Other than that, ppl just like to bitch. Oh yeah.. and Google Earth is fine
I just bought my first drone for my own Christmas present, and I am wondering if I made a big mistake getting into flying a drone! I agree with everything you have said, and I am going to join my local AMA club here’s in Waco, Texas. I talked with the gentleman that runs our local AMA airport and he said he would be glad to have me join the club. He said that he currently has maybe a half a dozen other drone operators in the club. At least there I will be totally legal as a recreational drone operator and have some insurance from the AMA in case of any mishap if I crash and it involves people or property damage! I am going to also take the 107 ground pilot course too! So that I am as responsible as I can be as a drone pilot. Great research on this topic by the way! Keep up the great work!
What you doing is you will be registering your name and drone on paper which means you are signing to be sued if any crash into a commercial airline or plane helicopter within the fly zone and commercial airspace it is 1200 feet commercial airline radars may or will detect flying objects that is not registered to fly commercial airspace I found out when accidentally fly a light airplane we were at 1300ft and was told by the pilot I have go down pass 1200ft or we will get detected by commercial airtraffic control tower and could get warning not being registered for commercial airspace and drone can not carry paid passages and cargo there for it is not commercial there no law filming outside public area but there is restrictions not to film otherwise there be no security camera all over spying
but must have permission in private property house, car, boat,van, etc
And also paying to register meaning you own the paper and not the drone you are only parenting the drone so any shit happens it belongs to them but you get charged it called salvage search it,and birthcerticate and know how to rebut and never consent know what law is and meaning of law. never ever sign papers it is false signing thumb print is the correct way to sign
Corporation are out to sue and to revenue people's benefits
Your name is a corporation name check birthcerticate only corporation can be sued check your name
There only three laws and everyone is equal to law and there no injury to a party or a victim cannot be charged
this is what people's need to know must share...I have known for about 4_5 years from other people and still alot to learn believe me it works ..
Oh it the same when people buy home car, power bill ,rates they sign paper guess what ...learn rebut
This is what salvaging is everything every countries
Know your rights know the laws and know when the only time a rule enforcement can only arrest or to touch a person the truth is only if any complaint by public driving wreck less a terriost and in a crime scene
The rest is bullshit they can only warning breaking rules no I.D
Hope this will solve it for you and other people's
But hey safety is a must safety comes first rules regulations it about safety and the FAA is important but it unfair idiots are creating problem to other people's lives no injury no crime
Rick, you are my go to guy on advice and information.
I'm 63 and just passed the FAA PART 107 exam on June 5. I follow the rules. I agree, MAKE THE RULES CLEAR, and which rules do I follow.
Thanks and keep on giving out clear information.
I don't have any trouble flying my Phantom 4 in my town. just have to use my head and be courteous to everyone and not fly over crowds of people. Most people are very friendly here in South Carolina anyway.
me too i love drone i fly my drone in my city all the time and it is very short time.just for fun
If they go after us they will have to go after Google Earth ... every detail of my house is viewable from the air, and if I face a public Street ... Street View is right there!
James Lindbloom I love this comment!!!
Glad someone is awake!!!
:)
James Lindbloom
FLYING A DRONE IS LIVE CAMERA IT'S NOT THE SAME..
YOU LOOK AT GOOGLE EARTH LOOKING AT MY HOUSE IT SHOWS A PICTURE 4 YEARS AGO FROM EVERY ANGLE SHOWING MY OLD CAR..
I'm a drone flyer I understand but that is hardly a comparison..
Google Earth's photo is updated all the time. Within a month or two of adding a trampoline, moving something, etc, it shows up on Google Earth.
By the way, why are you yelling?
I'm wanting to get a drone but I honestly don't think I'll get one. I e-mailed my local county park - banned there, cruise ship destinations - banned there, in town - probably banned here too. It's like if I were going to buy a car but there were no roads. There is just no point.
83' interesting. Hope I never get a ticket. I always try to abide by the law. Great video. Thanks for info.
Drone near misses happen quite often. Hence the new 107 rule about flying lower than 400 and not within 5 miles of any airport.
As a medivac pilot, we don't land at airports. We land on roads, highways, roof tops, in people's back yards, front yards to pick up patients. I and other pilot have had near misses with drones.
We know what a plastic bag looks like. Yes they are reported to ATC / FAA. I'm sure you can get a list of how many.
Helicopters under part 91, anything that's not for $$$ except flight instruction basically, can fly at any altitude that the pilot seems safe, where he or she can make an emergency landing. They could fly at 50 feet or 100 feet if they so choose.
Part 135, where u are flying for $$$. We can only fly as low as 300 day time or 500 at night unless landing / taking off.
So you are 10 miles from an airport. That doesn't mean u won't see a helicopter at 100 or 300 feet, within you allowed 400'. Hence why u must keep your drone in visual range.
Scan CZcams. Lots of idiots flying at 5000 feet and 4 miles away from the radio.
I personally know several medivac pilots with near misses with drones.
Fly responsible and legal... that's all we ask. Most of us have drones and RC's as well.
I totally agree with everything you said and always observe the VLOS requirement to make sure I know where the quad is. I also land immediately if I hear a plane or helicopter nearby and know I have to yield to any traffic in the sky. It is frustrating to me to see clips of knuckleheads flying their quads up a few thousand feet in the air or others trying for some distance record because both run the risk of a collision (and are illegal). I'm hoping that as this technology continues to improve and become commonplace, a lot of these issues will work themselves out. Thanks again for the post and I hope you sub the channel, Rick
Professional course trainers tell you to land immediately if you have aircraft showing up around you. In addition, I carry a radio, for which I am certified, which allows me to monitor local air traffic. It does help situational awareness. But not everyone is going to do this. Be aware that most, if not virtually all, CZcams documented flights if done in Canada (CAN'TADA) would be considered to be illegal ("animals" 75 metre rule). It appears now that short of getting a Special Flight Operations Certificate from Transport Canada (SFOC), any flights in Canada will be illegal. The interim order will probably pass into permanent law shortly as we understand it. The U.S. may not be far behind (it may take a few years) unless there is a huge outcry.
Most of what you said makes sense but you're exaggerating some. In my whole life I've never seen a Medevac or any helicopter land or fly very low anywhere near me (unless I was at an airport). I've seen lightning lower and closer a few times but never a helicopter LOL. If anybody with a brain were flying one of these things and a helicopter did fly into the area you'd have to be an idiot not to land and get out of the way. There are some idiots out there but they won't be affected by the laws anyway. Laws only affect the people who care and respect them :-(
There should be no minimum altitude for flying drones except for over residential areas. I know you're a photographer but alot of folks enjoy flying drones just like fixed wing model aircraft. They just like to fly. Can you imagine how boring it would be to fly your aircraft with no camera and not be able to fly under 83ft, or what ever limit they stipulate? I understand restrictions around airports but if a plane or helo is under 500ft, outside of the 5 miles from the airport there is something wrong. With the exception of emergency aircraft, they have no reason to be that low. The way I see it, birds are a much bigger threat than drones. We should also stop calling them drones. No one ever had a problem with helicopters that are capable of the same actions. Calling them drones has a military connotation attached to it and people freak out. Thats the equivalent of calling an AR15 an assault rifle. If you asked a person who was not knowledgeable about guns which was more deadly, an Armalite Rifle or an Assault Rifle, 99% would say the Assault Rifle when you are actually referring to the same rifle as they know it. Alot of the misconception is in the way people perceive things, not in reality.
I agree with most of what you said and only suggested the minimum height as a compromise in these "no-fly" zones that currently exist. Once a town passes a ban it's almost impossible to get them to reverse it. I saw this as an interim step that would be easy to implement to show them that these quads are not as dangerous as they think. I also agree that the term Drone has a lot of negative connotations but like it or not it's what the public and the manufacturers call them. This new technology is well beyond the understanding of the majority of the public and when they aren't familiar with something, they naturally fear it. The same thing happened a decade or so ago when cameras started showing up on cell phones. Remember Google Glass? That died an early death because of privacy concerns. I think this will all work itself out as these quads become commonplace and less of a novelty. Thanks for posting and be sure to sub the channel.
Right on! A lot of this problem is the negative "perception" that people have about drones. Again, I think the few bad apples are really wrecking havoc on the whole barrel, and then, the uninformed public spoils the rest of it. We need a fighting chance here. Marc Trainor
I emailed the park ranger for a National Park near my work, its a revolutionary war battle site, asking if I could fly my drone there and take some photos. My request was denied and they referred me to the NPS ruling on drones which stated....
"Unmanned Aircraft: Launching, landing or operating an unmanned aircraft from or on lands and waters administered by the National Park Service within the boundaries of Ninety Six National Historic site is prohibited except as approved in writing by the superintendent."
Whats interesting is the NPS didn't say anything about a flyover ie if I launched landed and operated from a remote location off the NPS land I'd be fine. It seems the NPS was very careful with it's language trying not to step on the FAA's toes. I never did the flight, I'm not trying to cause trouble but to your point if local municipalities used this language (not banning the flight rather the ground activities) their drone bans might fly (pun intended).
You hit the nail on the head. If you takeoff and land outside of the parks boundaries you're fine flying over the park. That's the crazy part about it, they want to ban drones but know they can so they ban the takeoff and landing. This could go one of two ways when Part 107 becomes law. The National parks and other landmark sights could seek approval from the FAA for an official "No Fly Zone" and that would end drone flights. I'm hoping they go the other direction and approve flights for licensed pilots. Even if that means they have a special takeoff and landing zone for these flights. The current approach completely violates the spirit of the FAA law by effectively banning something they don't have the power to control. I was in the Valley of the Gods in Colorado the last few days, which also bans drone flights. I find it hard to believe that my Phantom 4 is more of a danger to these beautiful hills than climbers hammering spikes into the side of them or hikers leaving bottles and cans behind. Something has to give here.
@@Dronevalley Your reply post was three years ago, so the evolution of the drones has been more of a stampede. Imagine, if everybody that owned a drone all converged on a particular site to fly. You said "Valley of the Gods" but I think you meant "Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs." They'd be crashing into each other. It's become a multi-billion dollar industry. Some regulation is necessary, but it would be nice if the feds and local counties would tell us, where and when it's ok to fly and not just say it's banned everywhere. Thousands of us around the country love this hobby and I believe it can be done safely without invading the privacy of people. The park service believes that every inch of the national parks is there to be enjoyed for the solitude (you should see all the trail bikers and ATVers around here enjoying the "solitude"). As a nation though, we have enjoyed the footage brought to us by drone flyers, that we would have never seen otherwise. Now a good deal of that these days is commercial and has been taken by drone pilots who requested and received permits to fly. I recently took and passed the quiz for recreational drone pilots. Pretty easy. It's still perplexing to me though. I checked with my local property owners association yesterday and there is no ban on drones in the neighborhood, so I'm good to go with the FAA regulations, line of sight under 400 feet, not around people, etc. I intend to fly over my house and take footage, before I'm banned from doing so. I also intend on doing this during the week, when kids are school and people are at work. It seem ridiculous that someday, even though I have a drone that is capable of such a flight, that I would have to pay a real estate agent of commercial flyer to do that for me. I was in a state park yesterday, and I never flew because I had that "park ranger over the shoulder" paranoia hit me. I have called the local Marshall office and state park offices to see where I can fly, and really to no avail. It's a mystery. None-the-less thanks for your post. I appreciated it.
you are a person who understands both sides and stands up for what he believes is and should be correct. you have earned my subscription with a single video. Thank you for your video and time
Well researched. Great presentation. You've done a lot of the ground work for them and are certainly representing a logical and reasonable approach. Let's keep our fingers crossed that our government does the right thing!
Got my Mavic a week ago. Took it out to the back yard to give it a try. After a little while I heard my neighbors talking and was scared they'd be mad about it. Then I hear "Hey, mind if we come have a look?" Him and his son hopped the fence and came over and we're super cool. Turns out he's a former NASA employee now working for Boeing. He was pretty impressed with my portable little drone.
There is a Supreme Court ruling from 50 somethig years ago that kinda sorta pertains to this. There was a farmer who was miffed about airplanes from a nearby base flying too close to his property. So there actually something on the books about exactly how high above your property actually does NOT belong to you.
Locally, I have seen that most neighbor problems with my drone stems from pure ignorance on the subject. Most folks seem to think that I ahve a super mega zoom lense on board, coupled with x-ray vision. Trust me, I seriously DO NOT want to see your fat self in your kiddy pool in your back yard.
Gary, I agree and I think the height was 83 feet if I remember correctly and actually mention it in the clip. The law comes down to the definition of the term "navigable airspace", which is what the FAA controls. Many towns argue that since planes can't legally fly below 500 feet (with a few exceptions) that they own the first 500 feet, which is pure nonsense. I get that towns want to protect their citizens from harm and invasion of privacy but drones are less of a threat to either of these things than a car on the road or an iPhone on the beach, both of which we accommodate. I'm sure it will get better with time but right now it's frustrating. Thanks for posting and be sure to sub the channel if you haven't already. Thanks. Rick
I should have actually watched the clip first. :)
This whole thing gets me so mad, I just started typing. It will get better soon. Education, and smart uas pilots will make this thing work.
Gary Boisseau
Look how many people Cars kill every day, many from legal alcohol. And how many people and things have been exposed due to cell video. I'm flyin under the radar low for now and enjoying it . But I like to build too.
Gary Boisseau
It was 83 ft and that's not a rule for the FAA.. people get so confused that was only a specific situation there is absolutely no rule for a minimum height other than once the Drone gets close to someone's property you have a noise ordinance City issue using a sound pressure level meter in these freaking things are loud..
Frankly I don't like flying my drone below hundred feet anyways too many things in the way into boring..
How are you going to fly your drone low around trees and houses, cars, telephone poles power lines..
Taking a risk of losing your drone crashing it no thank you..
So if it was 83 feet which there's no such rule.. I've looked it up for hours nothing!!! And have YET have to find someone to prove it to be a rule!! Then I would be fine with that...
The only time I fly low is what I'm in my own yard just practicing there's nothing they can say about that.. it would sound like a weed wacker which after 8am nobody can say anything...
John- I am rethinking buying a drone and I'll be happy to share why? No regs as of yet, second, the areas in my neck of the woods have been closed off from the public for many years. I thought it would be fun to capture many many old structures and ranches that the public cannot get too. Now I am reconsidering my thoughts as I know how seriously protective ranchers can be.
I live out in the country in northern Michigan and fly my Mavic about 3/4 of a mile away from my house flying to the south. I do that direction because their are no tall trees flying that way. I fly the drone a little farther everytime I fly it, so far about a mile is my farthest out. Anyway I met a gentleman who's house I fly over going that way the other day, when he told me where he lived I said I fly my drone over your house a lot, he was at my house. He was surprised because he didn't know who was flying over his house with a drone. And he was shocked that I could control one from that far away. Then he told me that he had been thinking about shooting it down when he seen it again because he didn't know who was controlling it . He said since he now knows who is flying it he would not attempt to do that now. When I fly over his house I'am always at least 200-400 feet up. He's a nice guy he just thought some one was spying on him and his family. I explained to him that at that altitude the drone doesn't see anything in great detail on the ground anyway. Now I fly that way still but I never fly directly over his house, and allways 400 feet.
I agree with you 1 hundred percent. The FAA makes the rules and regulations and we should not have to worry about a park ranger or the police taking our drones and making their own rules. We have enough of them with the FAA. We have a right as long as we have our license. I paid for the hobbyist license and nobody else has a right to make their own rules and take my drone. I have an inspire 2 and I have close to 20 thousand dollars or more in it and they would not be taking it because it would be stealing and robbing me.
I gotta tell you this really concerns me. I waited many months to buy a drone. I finally purchased the Mavic Pro which will arrive in a week or so. After watching this video I’m very close to canceling the order before it ships. Very frustrating ... I just wanted it to film family on the boat but apparently wont be able to do this. I’ve always been a law abiding citizen & I think the best thing to do is just wait another 5 years to see if the local authorities will allow the flight of drones. Cancelling order. This really saddens me. I’m sure I would’ve loved this hobby like you but until there’s clarification from FAA or local authorities it appears I’m done before even getting started. Awesome videos & thanks for all your input
Jeff, Don't give up yet. There are a lot of places that you can fly and the frustration for me is that the rules are a bit sketchy and a lot of the local parks have banned quads for now good reason. I fly almost every day and you can still find great places to fly and film. In fact, most of the country is open to flying but you have to check locally if you'll be flying at a park or beach. I promise that it's worth the effort and is an amazing hobby. Rick
Thanks for that discussion. I fly in the UK and the drone codes we followed became law on the 31st July this year. Now the 400’ rule, visual line of sight rule, 50m from people not under your control, 150m from buildings etc now are legally enforceable. The whole process will be completed by October 2019 where drones over 250g have to be registered and visible on all drones.
I have found that there is a minefield of local regulations in parks, public land etc to find out about before you can safely fly and enjoy your hobby. I am new to flying drones and find it difficult to clearly understand all the conflicting restrictions.
Hopefully it will become clear over the next year.
Asking for forgiveness is easier than permission
Might not be easier on the pocket book. I'll bet they are banking on that!
Not really.
Somebody get's killed and it will be a long time forgiving..you and them.. Have ridden motorcycles all my driving life and I'm 63. Never yet rode a wheely down the street. Only accident ever some lady stopped right in front of me with her camper lid up, that hit me in the face and knocked me out. Cop came to hospital and wrote me a ticket for following too close..I beat it with the help of the lady, gave her $85 to testify for me.
@@klopossa2 LOL ....that is so fucking idiotic...not to mention ILLEGAL
Same is happening in the UK. The CAA has issued guidelines and the local councils are imposing their own restrictions which in some cases ban flying altogether.
I kinda like your idea of the 83'-400' range; there's always exceptions to the rule, mind you. For example, if you're at an actual RC airfield? It's ok to fly lower. You're in a spot granted area for takeoffs and landings. Most places that are like that have AMA rules and guidelines, or club rules/guidelines to follow for flight - "don't cross the flightline when landings or takeoffs are occurring", "don't fly out of the boundaries of the field", "don't let kids run around in the pilot area or on the runway for their own safety." (Hint: teach the kids to fly; they'll be caught up in watching the planes and learning respect for them that they won't be looking elsewhere when there's a "bird" in the air, they'll be fascinated at the guy flying the scale P-38 in for a landing, or the helicopter guy that's doing acrobatics 10' off the ground)
I'll admit that I've flown my FPV racing drone around in some parks near me, but I've always done it in an area where people were NOT - an empty Little League ballfield on a Sunday afternoon at dusk, for example. If people are coming over to watch me, that's fine - I have stopped flying when they came over, and asked for their safety to not go under the drone in the 2-3 minutes of flight that I had it up in the air, as I didn't want it falling on them or crashing should I lose control or have it attacked by the local ravens that hate EVERYONE, ballplayers included (They REALLY have a thing against my drone, and I don't want to injure them!). And yes, 2-3 minutes of flight time is average for a racing drone. They're meant to be lightweight, fast, small batteries to save weight, and they dump their energy quickly.
Most people have been pretty cool about it; I even had one guy who wanted to know what my headset was all about, which is great - get people interested, educate them, and show them the right way to fly safely, and we'll have more people realizing these aren't the horrors of spying and privacy violation that is the public perception.
Been a dronee for about 20 years now and have gotten on the good side of enforcement, but they still want the respect of under 400 and non flying over populated areas and so on. I do like the barriers they put up where my drone can't fly through interesting measure and can be also placed for altitude restrictions. But keep droning safe and low flying videos of lakes. Happy New Year to all and safe flying.
Really do enjoy your videos. Very informative and interesting. I have been in aviation over fifty years and see drone regulation becoming more restrictive. The FAA sets the minimum qualifications and restrictions, however, cities, mayors, ,etc. can enact laws that are "more" restrictive. As a new drone pilot just learning about all the regulations is frustrating. I fly on a friends farm and because the adjacent farm has a small airstrip (within 5 miles) and classified as an airport, I am required to notify him.
Thanks for the support and I know I got a little cranky in this clip but am confused daily about the overlapping regulations. I am hopeful that since Part 107 is now law, a lot of these local bans will fade away. We'll see how that goes. Thanks again for stopping by the channel. Rick
Rick...You are the most "sane" smart guy I have seen lately on this topic...thanks so much!!!
I fly with a lifelong buddy who has 1000's of flights under his belt with Mavic Pro 2 and Zoom with megabucks invested in drone equipment. He owns properties around the world and routinely flies in other countries other than Canada. Now that I own the Mini, I have taken to go out with him to fly. One of his tricks is to visit farmers who own large swaths of land near our city of Ottawa, and ask permission to fly over their property. He has never been denied permission and he sweetens the pie with a promise to give them a video of their buildings and property (in times past, it would have cost them major bucks to get a video like that; now it's being offered free) Most of these folks have never seen their properties from the air and end up really quite excited to get a video like that. Bottom line, he has made quite a few friends this way and like everything in life, it's all about how you relate to people and handle yourself. He flies a lot in Africa where there are so few regulations regarding ANYTHING and drone flights are way below the radar of government officials. But he still flies responsibly using the guidelines established for drones that are simple safety and common sense rules.
Bottom line, in rural areas anyway, no one bothers you at all even when they see you flying. I imagine it's much tougher in larger metro areas, but we never fly there for the reasons you state...too many "made on the spot" regulations by petty bureaucrats; too many real restrictions around where you can fly and cannot. I will be carrying my Mini in the tail trunk of my motorcycle next year and stopping to get videos over superb country I often pass through. There is nothing in any city that I personally want to take videos of...
Lets hope the regulatory situation gets better before it gets worse. But even with undue restrictions on drones, it IS possible to find places to fly both legally and comfortably...at least here in my area. My biggest worry is that the Mini (which is a true "game changer") will force the government to re-evaluate the rules and destroy things further
Private pilot since 1959, rural dweller, never noticed other drones anyplace I've flown. Military C-130's, spray choppers, ultralights and powered paragliders operate as they please. UAV's doing the most harm to the public, and mostly minors can be found in any major league stadium, easily identified by the white color with red stitching.
This "local authority vs aerial activity" conflict is age old. An incident in the 70's comes to mind.
The demonstration pilot for Lake Aircraft, who made great performing single engine amphibian airplanes, wanted to introduce their sexy 200 hp four place land and seaplane to the rich folks with palatial homes on Lake Minnetonka on the western border of the Minneapolis metropolitan area. He made arrangements with a lake side restaurant to hold a blow out bash with bands, food and sent invitations to all who had homes over a certain market value. On the day of the event he flew over the lake responsibly and gently landed the amphibian near the restaurant. He was ecstatic that the local news media had decided to come join the party.
When the dock hands had tied the plane to the dock imagine his surprise when a police officer stepped forward and asked for his identification. Long story short? Unknown to anyone except a few rich folks who had never ending positions on the local city counsel, seaplane operations on Lake Minnetonka were outlawed some time in the past. "Everyone around here knows that" a city official told the pilot. The police went so far as to deny the pilot the ability to takeoff to get the plane off the lake. Their demand was that he make arrangements to truck it out. And in the meantime, he was fined some ridiculous amount for each day the plane sat at the dock.
Well it turned out that very few Minnesota pilots knew of that Minnetonka ordinance. Eventually a strong aviation community in Minnesota won a temporary stay from a court that allowed the pilot to takeoff from the lake as opposed to having the plane dismantled to be trucked out. And thereafter a hornets' nest hit the FAA to do something to centralize seaplane local rules. The FAA turned their backs on pilots and the Seaplane Pilots' Association volunteered to be the common clearing house for local restrictions on seaplane operations in the Continental U.S. What made it work was SPA also made arrangements with lawyers to provide a defense and to sue local municipalities that did not provide sufficient notice to the public of such restrictions. I don't know if it is still working well but at least in the 80's-90's the SPA info was pretty darn reliable.
Just another example of where consumer response is more effective than government response. Like the services of AirMap.
Thanks for the post and the great story there, it shows how the FAA has the authority but lacks the will to actually enforce their mandates. What might make this one a little more heated is the evolution of the package delivery debate now going on in Washington with some pretty heavy hitters in the room (Amazon, Fedex, UPS). The airspace below 400 is going to get very crowded with the recent FAA re-authorization bill since it provides for commercial flight below the 400' ceiling and will be a nightmare to manage UAV traffic with autonomous Amazon drones flying all over the place. I expect before too long that any hobby quad will need ADS-B and crash avoidance tech to even lift off above 100 '. These are exciting times for sure.
I agree, Rick. It seems to be getting more and more "taboo", if you will, to fly your drone near any park, neighborhood, etc. I was recently ran off from a park, but there were no rules listing any sort of aircraft, so I argued that and just got in my car and left. All it would've been would be a pissing match if they'd called the cops, so I just packed up and let. Luckily, this weekend, I am heading back home to the Blue Ridge Mountains where there are no aircraft, except for those jets you can barely see and I'm really looking forward to flying from my dads property and being able to have a little more of a comfortable setting. Thanks for the vid
Great video. I totally agree with you perspective. As an airline pilot and FAA certified remote pilot, I think there needs to be balance. It is getting more and more difficult to find places to fly drones for a hobby. As a FAR 121 pilot, I'm concerned about the safe operations of drones around aircraft. I feel the FAA has done a good first step setting up guidelines and requirements for these new little aircraft. Unfortunately the public perception of drones is bad do to misinformation and people who just don't want them in the air at all. The local politicians side with the masses. So I think the FAA is going to need to step in on all of this.
Well, in NY State, I spoke to directors of local parks and they argue they say their job is loyalty to local property owners... complaints of noise, peeping Tom types, etc all have led to bans in parks.... School grounds (fields) are also very much off limits... mostly paranoia that drones are photographing children, etc.... so the congressional hearing on XJETS CZcams channel runs about 2 hrs and will make your stomach turn as you begin to realize that recreational flying is now have to bow down to commercial drone interests. It is important to note that the AMA was not present....so who is representing us, the recreational flyer??? Sad.....
I like your thinking on the 100-400' zone
Maybe I'm not understanding and he is talking commertial only. try flying above 100' with something under .55 pound and see how much enjoyment you get. You can not hardly see the thing.
You are thinking only vertical. You can stay 100 horizontal feet from a person easily with a .55 lb drone.
Yep, I like my yard Nano's ..think they raise less eyebrows..but still fun to fly. Keeps skills up a bit. I've got trees and clouds, so it's a rush just catching 6 satellites.. Most of my trees are over 85 ft. But they are coming down.
Hey Rick I wanted you to know that I found this video back in July of 2017 and it is the one that made subscribe to your channel. Its now June of 2020 and its funny the more things change it seems the more they stay the same. 💯
Steve, I'm glad that you enjoyed that clip and I appreciate you hanging with the channel all these years. I agree with you that the hobby is always moving forward with new challenges every day it seems. I'm trying to put out interesting content and have a lot more of it posting so be sure to stay tuned.
Hello Rick, very good video on your thoughts on where you can fly your drone. I’m starting to study for my “part107” test and hope to start some type of drone business down the road and right now I’m practicing flying my drone in a new housing area that is just starting to be developed, but no one is living there yet. I notice on some videos that I watch on CZcams the drone pilots are flying on schools property when no kids are present and seems to be Ok and areas outside of busy areas ( deserts, out in undeveloped land) just saying there are areas a person can fly but may need to scout out the areas first.
I know I would like to hear more from you on this subject and appreciate all the work you do to inform all the drone community on your findings, Thanks Rick👍😎
Education is key. I think most people believe you can look into people's windows with these cameras. You can't. We are photographers and pilots and drone enthusiasts. Not everyone is a voyeur. With advances in technology, this hobby has really taken off. Now, already, it's like the "US -vs- THEM" mentality. It just shouldn't be like this!
Daniel, don"t answer that. She is looking for more amo against the hobby. She knows no one can answer that.
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Gary, I replied to your earlier post as well. We all have to take a step back from this vitriol. The facts are simple, the FAA governs the sky from the ground to the heavens and has total authority over this domain. They have worked hard in the last few years to put together a framework for incorporating quads into this national airspace and put a set of regulations forward that every quad operator agrees to when they register their quads. This then gives them the right to fly anywhere they choose as long as they follow these rules. There are exceptions to where they can fly and these are clearly spelled out in the regulations. The frustration that led to my doing this clip is that now everyone wants to be a Sky Marshall and decide what's best for their community, most often based on misinformation. I just want one set of rules to fly by and believe that I already have them from the FAA, the federal agency entrusted with that power. No township, state, cranky citizen or park ranger has the authority to abridge these rights, period. If I'm coming off a little aggressive it's because I'm a little tired of "experts" all over the web spouting off about their "positions" on where and when quads can fly. The rules are clear, I follow them and suggest others do the same so we can all go back to enjoying our hobby.
I really appreciate all your informative videos, and the dialogue that you facilitate re: controversial issues like this!
One additional provision that I think should be made in addition to your suggestions of general ceiling and floor heights (that still keep it high off the ground):
There are plenty of us who are not only recording sweeping landscape, high flyovers, etc., but who also use our drones [very responsibly] as eye-level down to ground-level camera dollies, as well as for jib/boom and moderately-higher-altitude effects (low flyovers, single-take transitions from low jib to God's view shots, etc.), low aerial group photos, and so on. Especially with advancements like tripod mode on Mavic Pro, etc., we can do interior real estate fly-through shots (just don't leave any loose papers lying around!), wedding or movie dolly, jib, and slider shots (as long as everyone present is OK with it, of course), and so on. And these special uses shouldn't be left out of whatever provisions that at least *commercial* drone pilots are handed down. And perhaps at least even some allowances for low-altitude individual or group selfies, etc.
And it would certainly be nice for some of us to be able to use special modes in the purposes for which they were designed (again, provided it won't annoy or endanger anyone around us) - such as auto-following a subject on a rock-climbing route, tracking a paddler, etc.
I certainly understand having general-purpose provisions that apply to the general populace, keeping drones at higher altitudes for safety and privacy; but [perhaps even if requiring additional class time, testing, and costly certification/licensure to weed out the riffraff] for those of us who use our drone as a camera first and flying toy/hobby second, and especially who use it for commercial purposes (which does already require at least some costly testing/certification), it's important that we be able to utilize the full functionality of our drones for our work.
Even if it means having to add different classes of licensure (just like different classes of drivers licenses for different purposes), requiring prop guards below 100 feet, increasing the gravity/penalties/liability for misuse, damage, privacy violations, etc., in order to weed out casual misuse and drive the message home to commercial operators to be very responsible with their UAVs, I think there's still no reason we can't also make special provisions for low-altitude usage, besides just takeoff and landing. I'd be more than willing when working at low altitude to keep guards on, work almost always in slow tripod mode, and even wear some kind of operator's vest and a propeller beanie that says I'm the one responsible if I crash/cause damage or injury, etc. 😜 Even if it requires that I first collect signatures on a blanket waiver from anyone who will be within 100 feet of the drone, that would still be better than a ban, altogether, on low-altitude usage.
I agree 100%. When I first purchased my drone I had no guidance. I had no idea of all the restrictions etc. I used common sense and slowly became a better pilot. I really enjoyed the process. Flying my drone quickly became something I looked forward to. That changed after I heard people were getting in trouble. I found myself flying somewhat paranoid. I now know the no fly zone but there is ever-changing rules locally.
I'm so glad you touch on the subject. I live in Canada and as far as I know, you can fly a drone without a license If the drone weighs less than 35kg.
Fly 500' away from people or populated places, no higher than 300' above the ground, close to highways, etc.
In short, I think as long as you are careful and professional about how you fly your unman aircraft. You should be allow to enjoy your hobby. I would be debastated if I followed all the rules and some silly park ranger wanted to confiscated my drone. Great video. I should be getting my Mavic Pro before months end. Well, that's what a Dji online operator said.
its up to 2 kg not 35kg.
Also incorrect. They recently changed the weight limit to 1kg (which excludes the Phantom Series), but that weight limit mostly applies to what rules you have to follow in order to get a SPOC or Exemption for commercial operations. For rec flying new rules just require the drone be under 25 kg. However when you also look into the 500 ft from every person, property or structure rule (which applies to everybody) - its very restrictive if a TC inspector chooses it to be. Since the height limit is 300', any sort of town or built up area is out. Also not within 9 km of an airport. Also if you read the definition of "person, property or structure", just about anything man-made qualifies -- a barn, a shack, a road, power lines, a car, a bicycle, the list goes on.
Alas the TC rules in Canada are essentially impossible to follow and still fly unless you're in a corn field out in the boonies somewhere, or you manage to get a blanket SPOC.
"In short, I think as long as you are careful and professional about how you fly your unman aircraft. You should be allow to enjoy your hobby."
Yes, I think the laws don't apply to you. Just everyone else. Not you.
Hi, I want to inform you about some misconceptions that you have. First, only the FAA is allowed to legally regulate United States airspace. The municipalities are not making any regulations regarding the flight of drones. What they are doing however, are passing laws about what the actual people in their municipalities do. Let me provide you with an example to clear this up for you.
Say that the the town of Somewhere, USA has a law that states that they ban the operation of drones in their municipality. They are not regulating the airspace whatsoever. If you took off from the town of SomwehereElse, USA and flew over the airspace of Somewhere, USA you would be completely within the rules and there isn't anything that law enforcement of Somewhere, USA can do about your flight. However, if you were to pilot your drone while on the ground and inside the city limits of Somewhere, USA they can certainly establish a law that states you are unable to operate a drone from the municipality of Somewhere, USA. They are banning the operation from the ground. They are not regulating the airspace at all. They are only making laws about what occurs on the ground in their municipality/city/state/etc. Does that make sense to you?
Second, it's also important to note that the FAA regulations regarding drone usage are NOT hard and fast rules. They are guidelines that have been created. The 400 foot guideline doesn't outright prevent the flight of drones in airspace above 400ft. Essentially it is providing a means for the FAA to prosecute/officially warn/etc you if you manage to interfere with the operation of another aircraft, cause damage somehow, or cause personal injury. That is what is important to understand. If you are a considerate pilot, don't interfere with other aircraft, and don't cause personal injury or property damage you do not have anything to worry about if you're operating outside of the guidelines as long as your aircraft is registered.
However, if you managed to interfere with another aircraft, wrecked in to a building, or hit a person and were operating outside of the established guidelines, that would give the FAA the legal recourse to fine, arrest, or otherwise penalize you. I am a part 107 licensed pilot and I promise you that the manner in which I just described all of this to you is the same way that the FAA views drone operation as well. Unfortunately as more people fly recklessly, cause damage, and injure people, I think it's inevitable that the FAA will create strict laws which clearly define drone usage and the airspace they are allowed to operate in.
Another guideline which is commonly misinterpreted is the part where people think that they need to get permission before flying within 5 miles of any airport or helipad. This is not required. What is required is that you NOTIFY and only notify the operator and control tower (if there is a control tower) of your flight, the approximate flight time and your approximate flight path. The way this guideline is written, you only need to take reasonable effort to contact them. If you look in the phone book, check the FAA website, and check other registration methods and still are unable to find contact information for the airport/helipad (this is especially true of helipads as many are abandoned or haven't been in use for years to decades) that would be considered doing your due diligence if you didn't contact them. If the airport/helipad has an email address, sending them a quick email NOTIFYING them of your flight prior to take off would be fine. They cannot tell you that you can't fly. They may try to, but legally they can't make any decision about your ability to fly your drone. Some of these smaller airports are getting inundated with calls and as soon as you call them and mention drone they'll hangup on you. In those cases, you've done your due diligence in trying to notify them of your flight. Just fly as you normally would and continue calling them to notify them of your flight prior to takeoff, regardless of whether or not they are hanging up on you.
Finally, I'd like to address your point about the so called "83 foot rule". That's not really a "rule" so to speak. It's something that could potentially be looked at as precedent if a similar case were to come up in the future, but based on the FAA's actions over the last two years in situations where home/property owners have shot down drones/quadcopters/UAS traversing over their property it does not seem that they view that as a valid interpretation of their airspace rules and regulations. I say this because in every case where a homeowner has shot down a drone, the FAA has charged them with firing a weapon at an aircraft regardless of them height OR they have made no determination at all and let the local judiciary decide whether or not to charge the homeowner for a crime such as destruction of property, or some sort of firearm law (since most states/cities/counties have laws in place about firing weapons in residential areas, close to home, and close to roadways). I hope I've been able to clear some of the confusion for you. If you have any questions or additional concerns, please feel free to reach out to me or comment back and I'll be happy to expand further on anything I've said or add additional commentary to explain something that hasn't been addressed. Good luck to you and happy (safe) flying!
If they ban drones over privacy issue, they should ban all smartphone and handheld cameras
I have been flying RC planes and helicopters for about 15 years. I don't own a drone but would like to. I have done some video from my planes but doing it from a drone would be very cool. Thanks for all the great info you are posting here!!
Hi Rick,
I agree with you, it is becoming very frustrating and the enjoyment of the hobby start to fade. I don’t really want to take the test because it’s a hobby not a business.
Like you said, wéll see if the FAA will take over the drone regulation over any other ones.
I live in the country and have farmland behind my house, so for now, I've not ventured out much. I'll have to see how it goes when I get my Mavic Pro as I got that vehicle just so I could go more places.
As a 30 year airline pilot and new drone hobbyist, I’m just as concerned about the legalities of permissible drone fly zones if you will. It shouldn’t be this convoluted. Thanks for the excellent video!
I have yet to go out in public with my new drone and after watching videos on people freaking out I am questioning if I should've got into the sport to begin with. So many unknowns as far as where you can and cant fly. I would love to also take great lighthouse pictures and mountains views. Thanks for the videos very helpful specially the battery care one for me.
I'm a photographer and have been for many years. when ever a person is in a place with NO reasonable expectancy of privacy they are subject to being legally photographed. this includes parks, beach, river, their own personal yard or property, a parking lot. just about any place on this planet. having to fly above 100 feet would truly limit the panning footage and perspective stills of every thing and anything that could be video recorded or photographed. now I get the fact that we would not want drones barreling down a beach full of people 5 foot off the ground. that would result in someone being hurt and the operator would be liable. but a drone flying 20 feet above and 20 feet away would have very little risk. I dont currently own a drone at all but I have flown one. I personally would use a drone to create video footage to give a different perspective. sometimes high sometimes very low. I could see filming a car from 1 foot off the ground full circle for a 360 view. or use the follow me aspect to follow along as I walked and talked in a video presentation with the drone following at just below head level and a few feet away just enough for a tight shot. having a 100 foot low limit would make these shots unobtainable. the bottom line is when and if someone does something with a drone and someone is hurt someone will be liable. NOT THE FAA. now if the FAA is gonna take responsibility for all actions and accidents created with a drone and the owner operator is not held liable then they can regulate them all they want. further more if I cant fly a drone where I want with in reason then I dont want planes flying over me period, I dont want satellites taking images of my home, I dont want google maps photographing my home from my street.
daveknowshow I think the next time someone strolls upland gives me trouble where it's not warranted I'll bust out my a6000 and start photographing them that way and see if they like that better. People have this weird idea that you need permission to photograph. If thatnwere true magazines like People and all that other trash would be out of business. If I'm way the hell down an empty beach and some jackass strolls up and gives me trouble who is really at fault? The jackass is because he is going out of his way to cause a problem. I don't even give a shit what the law actually is. Someone that does that is the problem. People can't mind their own business these days. That's the law we need. Mind your own damn business law.
Thank you for the discussion. I live in the rotten state of PA. They have an agency that oversees the state parks. They say no drones in their parks. However they allow soccer fields in the Milton State Park. Now everyone knows that a kid was never hurt playing soccer but drones possibly could but never have. They have no stats to prove their agency rule.
The same applies to the second amendment and many other things in this country. States rights vs federal authority, constitutional right vs nanny states.
I have flown Fixed wing and RC helicopters for ~20+ years and have been an AMA member for the same length of time. The AMA just like the NRA lobbies for its members, the majority of "drone" owners are not AMA members yet it is drones that have caused the greatest amount of grief for responsible AMA members in the last 5 yrs.
I see many many youtube videos of people not being responsible when flying their drones and outright ignoring public safety.
Don't get me wrong I am not against drones but as the cost of entry comes down and drones don't require a "club" style setting to operate vs flying a fixed wing RC plane that requires a club landing strip/field to fly from and to use that landing strip the club requires AMA membership which includes liability insurance through the AMA. My point being is that RC pilots are growing exponentially and AMA membership at the same time is probably shrinking and therefor the AMA's lobbying force is probably also shrinking.
My advise is for everyone to join the AMA, follow the AMA rules for flying and don't be irresponsible when operation an RC device, be it a drone, fixed wing or conventional helicopter. Otherwise it is going to get to the point at which none of us will be able to enjoy the RC hobbies.
No hate here whatsoever, as hobbyists we always want to bring more people into the hobby and do as much as possible to help out newcomers. The more people at the flying field the better. The issues I spoke of in my previous comment were dead on accurate, too many people unaware of the rules and common courtesy that is taught by fellow hobbyists and the AMA. So there were and still are way too many negative interactions between RC pilots and the general public, like it or not that is the cause of the issues that now plague the hobby.
I'm with completely with Chadd Thompson here. There is no hate here what so ever. I do sense hatred from you, fukthegoog, even in your screen name. I've been an AMA member since 1967, built and flown scale RC aircraft and helis. As an instructor and AMA member, I am here to help new hobbyists. I also have the 333 Exemption and the FAA 107 certification. I'm also a retired Commercial & Airline Captain. So I have seen both sides of this. I'm a responsible commercial drone owner/operator. But there ARE irresponsible people that own and fly drones. Be informed and don't provide more fuel to the flame from negative interactions between RC pilots, responsible drone operators and the general public.
Right on Chadd I agree with you 100%
the problem is people think it's fun to try to slide rules and get away with it. instead of enjoying the fun of flying. then they wonder why things get more restrictive with laws and such. amazingly since the advent of quad copters no law making entity gave a flip about model aviation. I honestly think that quads are what are needed to be regulated to a point. mainly it needs to be like driving a car. either A, you become an ama member and have to take a safety class before buying a quad, or B only require the safety class. most of us who have been flying understand that flying within the rules means everyones safe and can enjoy the sport for years to come.
Chadd Thompson the 2nd is clear and all gun laws violate the constitution be they state or federal.
The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. Anything that hinders prevents or delays the right of ownership, to carry or possess a weapon regardless of its features be it the barrel length, magazine capacity, flash hider, suppressor etc violates the 2nd amendment .
Regulations... the killer of business. Trying to get a drone in the wedding photography and video business seems like an almost impossible hurdle. Sigh 😔 our founding fathers would be so ashamed by how much freedom we gave away willingly and how much power we gave the federal government. Limited government ftw
I live in Canada and we are governed by Transport Canada (TC). According to their rules, we cannot do the following:
- Fly closer than nine km (five miles) from any aerodrome (i.e. airport, heliport, helipad or seaplane base, etc.)
- Fly higher than 90 meters (300 feet (ceiling)) above the ground
- Fly closer than 150 meters (500 feet) from people, animals, buildings, structures, or vehicles
- Fly in populated areas or near large groups of people, including sporting events, concerts, festivals, and firework shows
- Fly near moving vehicles, highways, bridges, busy streets, or anywhere you could endanger or distract drivers
- Fly within restricted and controlled airspace, including near or over military bases, prisons, and forest fires
- Fly anywhere you may interfere with first responders
We must:
- Fly your drone during daylight and in good weather (not in clouds or fog).
- Keep your drone in sight, where you can see it with your own eyes - not only through an on-board camera, monitor or smartphone.
- Make sure your drone is safe for flight before take-off. Ask yourself, for example, are the batteries fully charged? Is it too cold to fly?
- Know if you need to apply for a Special Flight Operations Certificate (SFOC).
- Respect the privacy of others - avoid flying over private property or taking photos or videos without permission.
I agree with those limitations though I would like to see the ceiling increased to 400 meters, 300 is a bit low for some ariel filming I do but I try for the most part to stay in the range. I do go over that at times but only in unpopulated forested areas. I have seen first hand what some idiots are capable of doing and it pisses me off to no end. I have been flying multi-rotors for a few years and radio control heli's and planes for 30 years. I have seen heli's cut down 3 inch trees in a crash, cut through them like a buzzsaw so make no mistakes, spinning blades are dangerous. If we all adhere to the rules this hobby will survive, if we don't, we can expect these kinds of municipal bans everywhere. Lastly, if I can emphasize one point, ALWAYS FLY LINE OF SIGHT if possible, this should be a steadfast rule but I do understand that sometimes, to get that perfect shot, it needs to be broken. If you feel you have to break it, please only do so when safe to do so. Great video Rick, again, very informative, thanks for taking the time!
Andrew, thanks a lot for the information and it looks like your rules are similar to ours, with the exception of the ceiling height and a few other minor tweaks. I think the SFOC will loosen some of these restrictions and also allows you to fly commercially. I agree with you about the VLOS and its frustrating that a lot of pilots don't take this seriously in the States either. If you do a search on "drone range test" you'll see a lot of clip of knuckleheads flying their drones out 2 or more miles, well beyond VLOS. Even though they have an HD POV, it's still the law in the States to maintain visual contact with your quad. I know that the FAA is considering loosening this restriction and all we need is one of these quads to hit something to screw it up for all of us. I love flying and hope this hobby survives. Be sure to sub the channel so you don't miss anything. Rick
The first of your videos was enough to convince me to subscribe Rick, I will be a loyal follower :)
I knew this whole "drone thing" was gonna be an issue, especially here in San Diego, when the authorities threatened to deal harshly with people flying over emergency's like all the huge fires we've had over the past couple of decades. Don't get me wrong, I'm in agreement with that law, but like you're saying, it's starting to either "go over the top", many times, or at the very least, it's so complicated, it's starting to take all the fun out of flying. I've even read posts where some guy flew into a no fly zone, and his drone just stopped, more or less in mid air. Another guy's drone dropped down to about 15 feet and he almost ran it into a lake. I'm really uptight about DJI putting no fly zones into the new firmware to the point where my Mavic Pro can't fly in that zone at all, or maybe it can with the right permission. I'm still learning about all that, but it seems like Big Brother is starting to rear it's head a little too much or too often. I want to be responsible too, but like you say, there's so many different rules, now, you can't just go by the FAA rules. I just watched a video on that program Air Map, I think it is, where they're really helping out in a big way, to try and put all the rules in that program where you can see more clearly where you shouldn't fly. Marc Trainor
This isn't a new problem. It's been going on for many decades over what then was simply known as model airplanes, of which "drones" are but one category of the model aviation world. It's always been difficult to fly models.
In the Causby case, the SCOTUS rejected the unlimited reach above and below the earth described in the common law doctrine as not suitable for modern day, but in contrast they did rule, "if the landowner is to have full enjoyment of the land, he must have exclusive control of the immediate reaches of the enveloping atmosphere." Without defining a specific limit, the Court stated that flights over the land could be considered a violation of the Takings Clause if they led to "a direct and immediate interference with the enjoyment and use of the land."
In this case there was a VERY extreme interference. They lived at the end of the runway and the safe glide path to that runway passed directly over the property at 83 feet, which was 67 feet above the house, 63 feet above the barn and 18 feet above the highest tree. The case didn't set the limit to 83 feet. The court simply said 83' was a a direct and immediate interference, therefore that level was included in some limit, yet undefined. One could argue a C-130 flying daily @ 200' over their house would lead to a direct and immediate interference, as well. "The land owner owns at least as much of the space above the ground that he can occupy or use in conjunction with the land." Imagine you chose to build a 100 story building, that's 1000 feet and you own that space. A very interesting concept on this topic are deeds for "air lots" greater than 23' above the surface. Real property is broken into 2 groups, air lots and column lots. All condominiums are air lots. The column lot, which is the surface to 23', can be deeded separately and is not necessarily owned by the collective of the condominium owners above the 23'. There are many high rise buildings/owners around the world that don't own the column lot below the building. A perfect example is the Trump Tower in New York. Trump doesn't own the land that the tower sits on. It is built in the air lot over Tiffany's. Tiffany and Co. owns the column lot.
supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/328/256/
Opinion:
books.google.com/books?id=69CHCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA39&lpg=PA39&dq=#v=onepage&q&f=false
Don, thanks for the detailed and comprehensive explanation on the airspace. You can see why this is confusing to the average drone operator. In simple terms a lot of people think that they have the right to "defend" the sky over their properties and until things change with the FAA or a ruling is issued for the US, they really don't. According to the current FAA regulations, I can fly over any land that is not specifically restricted, as long as I don't fly directly over people. I am a very courteous flier and always avoid a yard when possible and if I have to cross over someones property I elevate to 300' or so and am not noticed in most cases. I also understand the privacy concerns that some people have but if they really understood how little I can see of objects on the ground from 300' they would be way less worried. Thanks again for the post and I hope you stop back soon. Rick
I agree with you and understand where you are coming from, I just started learning to fly my drone and this is all confusing to me also. It like Driving a semi, There are your standard rules which apply in every state then you have state rules County rules and city rules and Truckers are supposed to know all these rules even though they cannot know them all. So as far as flying our Drones we will have to learn the laws and follow them wherever we are.
I forgot to add, thank you for your time for the research and you-tube presentation.
I have toy drones that don't have 100ft range and/or you can't see them at that height...
I'm sure weight and sizes/capabilities are taken into account. VERY NICE PRESENTATION!
Thanks for the support and the smaller quads I fly are less of a problem with people, it's the larger Mavic and Phantom quads that generate the interest. I do my best to explain what the quad is and all the safety features built into it and that seems to help in most situations. Thanks for the post and be sure and sub the channel so you don't miss any updates. Rick
A faa rep has said that if you take 107 cert, you cannot use that on your hobby drone reg. which means u must reg your drone as a commercial or civil reg and pay the more heft price. If you reg as a hobby, you have the right to fly all areas but must be aware of where you take off and land and that the area is legal or not regulated on the ground for flight. yes a good rule of thumb is fly straight up to 100 feet then proceed to fly in the area you wish aside from tfr areas and heavily populated areas unless you have consent. if you must insurance is a good idea.
Jimmy, he's sort of right. The registration is the same for both the main difference is that if you want to fly your quad commercially you have to pass a Part 107 exam and them complete the paperwork. By passing the Part 107 you now have a "Remote Pilot" designation and enjoy a little more freedom on when and where you can fly than a hobbyist. Even if you don't plan on flying commercially, the Part 107 is a good thing to have and helps expand your knowledge and skill with the drone. Thanks for the post and I hope you sub the channel. Rick
Hay Rick I really enjoy your drone videos. Could you do an update video on “Where The Hell Can I Fly My Drone. The last video was 2016. Has anything changed.
Thank You.
Doug
You can fly anywhere as long as you in contact with the Air Traffic Controller near you.
You can buy a walkie Talkie type radio from "Sporty's Pilot" for about $100 to $200.
Then you can crank up the radio, call the tower and tell them you are flying a drone and then they can tell you where to fly safely around airports.
That's somewhat true for smaller airports but for larger ones you need to get permission from the tower for any flights within 5 miles of the airfield. The only exception to this is for Class G airports if you've passed your Part 107 exam and then you don't even need to notify these smaller airports to fly. Thanks for the post and I hope you sub the channel. Rick
I agree 100% i have the same problem in reading pa and i am so sick and tired of this. the FAA that is ok. but city, state, and county, laws is so confusing and they fast to take your money for registration they even want me to take classes that ok. but to have to join a club and be a member of a club is a joke just to fly it. its a money scam. to me every one is out to make a buck on behalf of drone owners. i just got my new drone and as much as i love the hobby i did not even get to fly one time yet. and i guess because all this i never will. so i will put my drone on ebay and sell it. i will not support this nonsense. i am 55 years old and i just wanted to take aerial shots for hobby. just like you and i feel your pain. i am the same responsible i don't want to have to look over my shoulder for state police or city or park rangers. and i want to respect every ones privacy and people property. so good bye drone i don't need this frustration. here is my simple solution for government just let use pay insurance for our drone and the FAA registration and done simple. we will be insured and no worries of any kind of damage to people or property. i say this because these aeronautic club or what ever you want to call them are making money off use cut out the middle man. and let me get my insurance like we do for cars, boat, motorcycle, ect ect this is my opinion and my opinion only. i don't care what any anyone's comments not here to dispute to each his own. i am not here to take this conversation further this is my opinion. i am just talking about my case in reading pa. and like i said i feel your pain. and i feel my voice should be heard maybe it will help the drone community as for me this is a done deal. i am finish drone will be sold my bugs w5 4k drone shame but it is what it is. i wish the rest of you luck. and this is for the owner of this page but feel free to read.
P.S. One more thing....The Blue Ridge Parkway is literally in my backyard, but yet it's illegal o fly there. Thats what is such a shame to have this gorgeous back drop that I can't use, although I have snook down into the woods no where near my car and have flown way out grabbed some footage and headed back. I don't know what a Park Ranger would do if I actually got caught. I'm not trying to be a non complying hobbyist, I just want t utilize my expensive toy and view and film the beautiful world we live in. It only takes one apple to ruin the batch, so I'm just afraid it's going to get even more strict. What are your thoughts?
United States vs. Causby 382 us. 256 what is an eminent domain case where the high cord had to determine what easement defendant had over his property. The figure of 83 feet was the glidepath of the small aircraft that was landing in the municipal-airport within 1000 feet of his house.
Thanks for the post and I think it's interesting that this is the only time that the FAA lost a case about airspace requirements. It was pretty intense for the farmer who actually had chickens flying into the walls of their pen because of the noise of approaching aircraft.
I fly myh drone in my own yard, I rarely fly into neighbors are space. Only one time a wind suddenly started and my drone did float away a bit, but I recovered and brought it back to my house. And in the world today, it is pretty rare to see anyone outside. Especially when it is real hot, or real cold. But we don't mind flying during those time. I remember as a teen driving my car, i had to watch out not to hit anyone with my car going to a friends house, Kids were everywhere. Well that has ended, No kids are around my place. Only older teens walk, and even that is rare.
A lot of people are confused on what fixed and rotary wing certified are able to do as far as how low they fly.
Following is Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Section 91.119 of the General
Operating and Flight Rules, which specifically prohibits low flying aircraft.
91.119 Minimum safe altitudes; general
Except when necessary for takeoff or landing, no person may operate an aircraft below the
following altitudes:
(a) Anywhere - An altitude allowing, if a power unit fails, an emergency landing without
undue hazard to persons or property on the surface.
(b) Over congested areas - Over any congested area of a city, town, or settlement, or over
any open-air assembly of persons, an altitude of 1,000 feet above the highest obstacle
within a horizontal radius of 2,000 feet of the aircraft.
(c) Over other than congested areas - An altitude of 500 feet above the surface except over
open water or sparsely populated areas. In that case, the aircraft may not be operated
closer than 500 feet to any person, vessel, vehicle, or structure.
(d) Helicopters - Helicopters may be operated at less than the minimums prescribed In
paragraph (b) or (c) of this section if the operation is conducted without hazard to persons
or property on the surface. In addition, each person operating a helicopter shall comply
with routes or altitudes specifically prescribed for helicopters by the Administrator.
Thanks for the post and this is a pretty old clip that I posted a year or more ago. I appreciate the details but commercial aircraft and quads (and other small RC gear) are very different and the FAA has cleared the lower airspace up to 400' for UAV's. This is to provide a 100' buffer between the smaller craft and the larger commercial aircraft. This is further restricted over people and within 5 miles of an airport. I agree with all of these restrictions and was (and still am) frustrated when local towns and governments try to restrict the flights even further when they clearly have no authority. What harm would there be for me to fly my quad under 400' over an empty beach or the bay? Why am I restricted from flying in a park that provides an archery and gun range that are both unsupervised? These are the things that got me all wound up and still do. The rules should be clear - the FAA decides where and when I can fly and the local authorities can't add more limits to those national rules. Let me know your thoughts. Rick
Very good video. I was thinking about getting the DJI Mavic Pro, but now I am thinking it twice. I agree there should be just a specific law of where to go and how far away from things. Very good video!
I cant fly my drone within 27 miles of my house😑😑 do they think i will travel 27 miles for every flight?????? (I live in the netherlands)
I believe the main problem with the drones is the cameras they carry. People are afraid that you can take photos or videos of them inside their proprieties, and I agree with them. People shouldn't use the drones to film or take photos of houses or terrains that have a wall that makes impossible to people at level ground to see what is going on inside. If a terrain is not protected by a opaque wall, then taking photos or video with a drone is more or less the same as tacking pictures or videos with a normal camera or even a cell phone. In my opinion, in those case is even worse to take images with a normal camera or cell phone because you can get much closer to the subject than with a drone. Never the less people should use common sense and try to place themselves in the position of the others and avoid taking pictures and videos that could disturb other persons.
Why would people want to take pics of others people homes? It would be easier to put an iPhone over a fence if that was the case. You are paranoid.
The real fact is no-one wants to take pictures or video of your family, home or you for that matter. When I take my drone up I am getting scenery and terrain. It might look that way but it has nothing to do with that. As most drone operators do. I might be over your house or area hovering but it is because I am panning the camera to get the shot I want of the general area. I could care less what you are doing as this is not an interesting shot at all. I am getting that birds eye view of the entirety of an area and nothing more. This is what the media wants you to think. Now if someone is hovering near your window with the camera peering in then they deserve to go to jail as this is just plain creepy.
Do you have an update video? Excellent research on your part--thx!
We have the same issues in the UK regarding drone law. It is crazy but also think most of the civic rules (LAWS) would not stand up in court.
I totally agree. You talk about cell phone as well, they have those who abuse the privilege of a cell phone, (texting while driving as an example) like “we” have those who abuse the hobby of flying drones. . I have 8 drones, I am retired from the military after 34 years, I follow rule well. But a few months ago I was fishing and got bussed by a drone up close, knowing it was a camera drone I look at the camera and told them that they had their fun, but I needed them to leave so I could continue teaching my grand daughter how to fish, the drone waved like nodding your head NO and hung around until he had to leave do to his battery I am sure. If I had my gun, it would of been shot downshot, knowing that was the wrong thing to do. I did take a picture (with my cell phone) of the drones FAA reg number and turned it in, just done know if anything became of it. But some compromises established and brought to fruition, ASP. I Fly a drone allows me to teach the kids, the right and wrong way of respecting peoples space. Right now I fly out in country field, but I alway get permission, and when you ask, most people ask if you can take a picture of there house, or just wan to see what you filmed. But 99.9 percent they say yes. Our problem is getting drone hobbies to following the rules, and take the required free free courses
what doesn’t get looked at doesn’t get done properly, we need to include some self policing thank for bring this issue up
I live in a suburb of Pueblo Colorado and homes are on Three acre lots with lots of wide open space. I have had the sheriffs department at my home several times with neighbors complaining and even suggesting I was spying. I invited the sheriffs in and shared my video and not once did I even come close to someone’s house or violate their space. I try to follow the roads and I still get complaints. One lady told the police I was looking in her windows....I’m not that good of a pilot.
Dave, I agree that the public is still skittish on quads in general and I always run into people that want to challenge me when I fly. The key thing to remember is that the skies (from the ground to the heavens) are governed by the FAA and they give you permission to fly with very few exceptions. As long as you keep the quad in sight, don't fly directly over people, stay under 400' and out of NFZ, you can fly anywhere you like. The only other thing I would suggest is to not hover over a yard as some people will complain that you're annoying them. Even still, you can remind them that Google is constantly taking pictures of their yard from above with a much better resolution camera than your quad. The key thing is acting like an ambassador for our hobby until the general public gets used to this new and amazing technology. I promise you it will happen in time. Until then, happy flying! Rick
Man I wanted to get a drone lately because of all the amazing footage ive seen. I am in the military and know I cant fly them on base but with all the places I go and all the shots I could get would be awesome to look back on years from now or show family how beautiful a place is. with all these issues with drones I just found now im second guessing if I should get one.. Damn
Luis,
Buy the drone and start flying. These restrictions are in flux and will sort themselves out over time. Even with the restrictions there are plenty of beautiful places you can fly today without a hassle. And I promise you that the first time you put one of these machines in the air and capture some footage of a landscape or a lake, you'll be hooked like the rest of us. My suggestion would be to start with a Phantom 3 Advanced or Professional and skip the P4. With both of the P3 models you get almost the same bird for a lot less money. I hope that helps you make the decision and be sure to sub the channel so you don't miss any updates. Rick
This is a tough situation. Our local metroparks allow you to fly only in one park out of many AND with a permit. The permit requires a membership in the AMA. You apply and they provide a permit tag. They are doing their best for all. There is no problem once you apply. However, I live in a no fly zone within 5 miles of our airport. I found an APP called HOVER that provides information where are the no-fly zones shown by concentric circles on a map and also other flying information such as climatic conditions for flying. It is a problem. I would like to fly in many more areas that are historic.
Flying your drone is not illegal in certain cities. However, launching and landing in those communities may be unlawful PART 107 does not clarify this.
all the fun has been squeezed out of drone flying by stupid regulations, after I invested early on, into so many exciting machines for thousands of dollars.
The NRA are able to protect the rights of people who like guns. Who will protect people who love to fly?
I am a retired photojournalist. I've had a LOT of people complain that I "Cant take a photo of" whatever it is at the time. The law was and is in my area, what I can see with my eyes legally, I can photograph. Car crashes, fires, floods, criminals being booked, etc. The drone simply allows me a very tall tripod. I COULD hire a helicopter... which IS dangerous, or I can fly a drone, which the Mythbusters proved is NOT.
@dronevalley
To be 100% clear, a State or municipality may enact drone laws which are stricter than Fed regs, but can not be more relaxed without waiver.
Now, if the populous of that municipality finds the stricter law rediculous, citizens can petition a Court for an injunction.
Thanks for the post but that may be true for property right and things like invasion of privacy but in the case of the navigable airspace, the only authority is the FAA. If every state, park and beach could restrict flights, these restrictions would also apply to commercial air traffic and it would be total chaos. The honest truth is that things are getting better. For example, both Florida and New Jersey this year enacted legislation at the state level that suspended any local bans put in place and the state became the authority for where and when quads could be flow. In the case of NJ they even relaxed it further and said that if it's not an official NFZ that has been granted by the FAA, it's clear airspace for me to fly. Life is good for me! I think this trend will continue across the country. Rick
this video is a very good way to explain these issues which is happening in the UK , and i agree :) i think we should do a online chat for our channel with taking about this rules etc.
I think that's a great idea and we should set that up soon. We'll have to figure out the best time to hit both time zones but I like it!
Drone Valley yes agree email me on jack@jacksdrones.uk and let sort something out :)
I totally agree with you, but they are iffy about laws and regulations because of safety. You never know when a drone is going to fall out of the sky on people. It's not the camera people are worried about unless it's very low.
Excellent overview, just watching it now in 2020. Just getting into flying drones. Will look for more information from you.. thank you
Lots of great view points and facts here.
With no clear laws or rules the fun is gone for me and I'm thinking about getting out of flying.
When I did fly and I had doubt I asked for permission first. I flew around Joshua Tree (in CA) once when I first started flying... my second trip I asked if I could and they said no so I didn't.
I flew over Seacliff which is a state beach (in CA) with no problems. However, first I found a ranger for the beach and asked them if I could fly my DJI Phantom 2 over it. They told me they had a lot of people that flew there so go ahead. If you want to see any of my footage search CZcams for spiderwayne flying over Seacliff
I agree with the comment you make about using my drone within the rules of the FAA.
PLEASE keep up the good work.
Stay Blessed!
IN HIS SERVICE
Thanks for the post and I'm glad you're enjoying the content. I'll have more clips posting this week so be sure to stop back soon. Rick
Great video. Very informative. Since drones have some very interesting technology the barriers to entry for the average Joe is pretty low. I understand the need for sensible regulations regarding privacy and safety. Many of the municipal regulations have gotten more stringent regarding drones. It has turned many prospective drone enthusiasts away from the hobby. If you are blessed enough to live in a rural area and on private property you will have no problems. However most people are in a grey area whether living in a highly populated area near restricted airspace or National wildlife refuges. Also remember it did not help when the AMA threw drone enthusiasts under the bus when discussing FAA rules regarding model aircraft.
We flew RC model aircraft, fixed wing and rotary wing and there was no problem until the media and the politicians got involved, as I remember the original issue was privacy "this thing had a camera and could spy on me". That set off the hysteria over "Drones". Next it was decided drones included all "RC model airplanes". I agree with you what I need to know who is in control of the situation and what do I have to do, that is the issue we face, it should be a clear law not emotional hysteria. Tell me what I have to do so I can make a choice as to continue or find something else. I agree that part 107 certification is the way to go, but I also think it is an overkill of some guy only wanting to fly in his back yard below 200 ft.
I just wanna fly my goddamn drone
Cool dude. down to earth common sense. wish there were more people like you.
Thanks a lot for the kind words and I'm glad you enjoyed the clip. I really have a lot of fun flying and like to share my experience with others. Be sure to sub the channel so you get notified of new clips that have been uploaded. Rick
Regardless what your hobby is, you will always find that there are a few jerks who make it hard for everybody else. I don’t fly drones, but I can see it must be a lot of fun. It is also interesting that drone owners are going through the same kinds of misunderstanding and harassment on the part of local governments and uninformed citizens that “shooting sports” people have been going through for years, (yes, my hobby is shooting sports and firearm collecting). It’s the same “nanny state” types who have passed some of the silliest gun restrictions, who have now set their sights on drones. Good luck in you fight, (I know what you are going through).
If a person is on a public beach or public land, then privacy shouldn't be a issue. If you are flying a drone over someones home/property to get to another area then that shouldn't be a issue. Flying over groups of people IS a issue. (FAA Rule)
As much as I want to get into higher quality drones and get into the drone business. It can be frustrating with trying to find a place to fly it. I get that there has to be some rules regulating them around manned aircraft. But, if you are a safe distance away from the airport, flying low, and not getting into the flight paths of manned aircraft that are taking off or landing: you should be able to fly within that airspace. It seems like when the FAA came up with these new drone regulations, they didn't clearly think this through in detail. They should've made better notifying and informing airports and ATC officials about the new regulations governing UAS.
Great video. this topic frustrates me to no end with the patchwork of rules and no specifics on pre-emption from the FAA
very informative, thanks for sharing👍
Thanks for watching, I'm not sure how the laws are progressing in your neck of the woods but it's getting very confusing here in Jersey and I'm hoping it settles down soon. I'll be posting more about it over the next few weeks so stay tuned.
Drone Valley we'll do ok thanks👍
I know you recorded this 10 months ago, I have my FAA Registration on my Quadcopter (DRONE), and joined the AMA (Academy of Model Aeronautics). I fly in a local park, and no one has said anything. I try not to fly over people. Yes, there are cameras on my drones, so if people complained, I would format or GIVE them the card...but you don't try to piss people off. We had a Phantom Drone fly above my house...I both saw it and heard it. It was probably 150 feet. I don't care, but some people were worried...one woman who walked by thought it was ok to shoot it down if it was over their house. Ignorance happens everywhere!
This video is already 7 months old and I would appreciate a little help fellows! I've checked all over but I still can't seem to find who to give my $5 to to register my Kite!
Tony Goozy 😂😂😂😂😂
Thanks Rick. You answered my question. Should I take the part 107 certification. The answer is yes. I love flying all radio control aircraft. Not happy how it has been reduced to this, but I understand why it happened. I take very seriously how I fly and how I affects the people around me.The public should also be educated that Drones are not here to spy in you and invade your privacy.
local councils in the uk are making it harder and harder for hobby drone flyers. i used to fly regular , just really going str8 up..and taking a series of high aerial shots..and really enjoy it...but now..all drones are not allowed to take off or fly over parks trusts areas without a license from them.. and than you must give them access to all photos/videos..its killed the fun..my kit is now collecting dust. its a shame.
Wow, my Mavic Pro will arrive today. I must say, had I been aware of all the problems/laws re. flying a drone I probably would not have spent the money. One thing I will say is I am impressed by the number of responses to this post, and this is just one of many posts on CZcams re. this issue. If it were possible to organize everyone who posted here and elsewhere into a concerted effort to come to some sort of compromise I would think change would have enormous potential. I had hopes to add another dimension of joy to retirement and traveling the National Parks as I have done for the last 25 years. But, for now, that of course is not possible, what a shame. If things were to work out I would suggest a lottery system, or a reasonable restriction on the number of permits handed out each year to pilots. I for one would not enjoy being in Yellowstone, which sees over 1 million visitors a year, and lets say just 10% of those visitors were UAV pilots, this equates to 100,000 pilots a year in the park. For simple math if fights occurred daily this equates to 273 flights a day...that for me, would certainly impact my enjoyment of the park. But again if a lottery or restricted permit program was instituted this would at least give some pilots the opportunity to fly the park. It can be done, it can be done responsibly, a compromise can be reached, the catch is finding someone in government willing to listen to a rational argument and coming to a compromise...would that ever happen??....this day and age?...I remain hopeful but not optimistic.
It's fairly common to have a set of rules in addition to Federal Regulation. Federal regulations were written to become a minimum standard so any state or municipality is within their right to write a set of rules that provide more protection than the rule itself as long as they do not amend or change the rules authority The most common would be NEC or OSHA. I share in your frustration. I don't think they have all that much concern or even knowledge of flying drones I think it' is more of a CYA liability standpoint. I think we will see a lot of changes and regulations over the next few years even now a court case has been filed in Dec. Over Drone Registration: Taylor vs. Huerta & FAA. In the future you may even see a licensing by state.