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Model aircraft operators free to operate commercially in US, rules federal judge

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Re: Model aircraft operators free to operate commercially in US, rules federal judge

#131

Post by zobzu »

tensafefrogs wrote: post #117
kyrra wrote: post #28

From a different article[0], it sounds like the guy being sued in this case may have been operating the drone irresponsibly, which opens a window for legislators to put laws in place that will gives the FAA power to regulate drones: > Pirker operated the aircraft within about 50 feet of numerous individuals, about 20 feet of a crowded street, and within approximately 100 feet of an active heliport at UVA, the FAA all…

You can watch the video of the flight that triggered the lawsuit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZnJeuAja-4 Definitely some questionable flying in my opinion.

yeah even for an experienced pilot, in fact, everyone knows - its not if you crash, its when you crash. as a pedestrian i'd be pissed if the wing was busing me at a couple of feet above my head. its reckless.

Re: Model aircraft operators free to operate commercially in US, rules federal judge

#132

Post by zobzu »

biblio777 wrote: post #116

This is ridiculous. The coming (and fictitious) drone/UAS revolution every little rich punk in Silicon Valley is just that ... day dreaming. I cannot wait to watch the FAA mow down your dreams. You have NO idea the power of the organization you are dealing with and their commitment to safety. UAS are not and will not be (for decades) up to the FAA standards. If you are an investor putting money behind these outlandis…

somebody's jealous.

Re: Model aircraft operators free to operate commercially in US, rules federal judge

#133

Post by fancyketchup »

fnordfnordfnord wrote: post #109
SpacemanSpiff wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And every year there are numerous incidents where a bird strike inflicts significant damage to a manned aircraft. Just because a risk already exists doesn't mean that it's acceptable or wise to increase this risk arbitrarily IMO.

Right, so you're comfortable with the amount of risk today, and you don't want to increase risk. Shall we then freeze and cap the number of Private Pilot certificates issued by the FAA? Wouldn't want to increase the risk (by adding more pilot traffic) merely because someone else also wants to fly an airplane.

Wait, so you're equating the risk of allowing someone to be trained to fly an aircraft with the risk of allowing anyone to fly an aircraft without any training?

Re: Model aircraft operators free to operate commercially in US, rules federal judge

#135

Post by griffendoor »

What if I got 100 drones that picked up a tarp and carried me around (i.e. use them for transport, claiming that they carry the tarp and I just happen to be on it)? Or how about using drones in mass by a non-profit to intimidate at political gatherings?

I like drones, but I have a feeling this is a decision that will get overturned within 5 years.

Re: Model aircraft operators free to operate commercially in US, rules federal judge

#136

Post by ljf »

bnzelener wrote: post #86
efuquen wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Man, that looked rather dangerous and the pilot seemed to have a complete disregard for potentially crashing into buildings and harming someone if that thing fell to the ground or went through a window. If he was just meandering around in what would have looked like a safe manner I wouldn't care as much, but intentionally getting extremely close to buildings and doing acrobatics in a populated area seems pretty reckl…

To my knowledge, "Trappy" (nickname of the pilot) is one of the best RC pilots around. He flies for Team Blacksheep, and is a big figure in the drone community for encouraging safety, education, and progressing the tech. He's definitely known for pushing the envelope on reckless flight, but I get the sense that he would take responsibility if something happened. These flying wings (foam plane model) absorb a lot of f…

A GoPro falling from the height he was flying would certainly hurt and possibly maim a person or damage property.

I'm sure he would take responsibility, but when people are taking risks around me I'm happier if I am assured they will be made to take responsibility.

Re: Model aircraft operators free to operate commercially in US, rules federal judge

#137

Post by lsiebert »

I read the original motion for this, and it's a good read.

The government has some pretty big restrictions on binding regulations from agencies. Restrictions that make a lot of sense when you realize that most law is made by elected officials with constituents, ie representative democracy. Regulations aren't made like that, so you have a lot of rules to prevent abuse.

One of the restrictions is you need to have defined periods for public comment on new regulations. Which the FAA did not do, as I understand things. It just came up with new rules without following the defined regulatory process. If for no other reason then that, the UAV rules were invalid.

Re: Model aircraft operators free to operate commercially in US, rules federal judge

#138

Post by lsiebert »

I read the original motion for this, and it's a good read.

The government has some pretty big restrictions on binding regulations from agencies. Restrictions that make a lot of sense when you realize that most law is made by elected officials with constituents, ie representative democracy. Regulations aren't made like that, so you have a lot of rules to prevent abuse.

One of the restrictions is you need to have defined periods for public comment on new regulations. Which the FAA did not do, as I understand things. It just came up with new rules without following the defined regulatory process. If for no other reason then that, the UAV rules were invalid.

Re: Model aircraft operators free to operate commercially in US, rules federal judge

#139

Post by andymoe »

So as expected (by me at least) the ruling has been appealed by the FAA and will go to the full NTSB so the opinion is stayed until the board rules: http://www.faa.gov/news/press_releases/news_story.cfm?newsId...

I think the FAA may lose the appeal but we will have to wait and see. This is really political for the FAA; they want to be in control of this area as much as possible so they will fight very hard to get the lower court ruling overturned. There is a large heated discussions thread on DIYDrones.com [1] if anyone is interested in opinions of folks with boots on the ground so to speak.

[1] http://diydrones.com/profiles/blogs/commercial-drones-are-le...

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