Welcome Inspire Pilots!
Join our free DJI Inspire community today!
Sign up

March 1st, flying over people and DJI insight...

Joined
Dec 27, 2015
Messages
527
Reaction score
277
Location
Nashville, TN USA
Website
www.airnashville.net
A while back I posited that considering some of the efforts to take class I UAVs out of the FAA equation might be the new frontier and I saw this article this AM:

FAA to Consider Allowing Small Drones to Fly Over People

This also coincides with the big announcement on March 1st for DJI. They have been one of the parties involved in discussions with the FAA and I now wonder if they saw the writing on the wall a while back and decided that the biggest opportunity is in the class I UAV (<4.4lbs or 2 kg) group. If this goes through, those operating class I UAVs could operate commercially without FAA authorization and with a fair amount of freedom. I wonder if this means that the real expansion future for UAV makers is to keep below that 2kg threshold? What will this do to the future of Inspire class and bigger UAVs? What do you think?
 
FAA has come out against the micro class (i.e. 4.4lb) in response to the micro class proposed in the AIRR bill. They want a capabilities based certification for flight over people. What constitutes that certification is yet to be determined.
 
A while back I posited that considering some of the efforts to take class I UAVs out of the FAA equation might be the new frontier and I saw this article this AM:

FAA to Consider Allowing Small Drones to Fly Over People

This also coincides with the big announcement on March 1st for DJI. They have been one of the parties involved in discussions with the FAA and I now wonder if they saw the writing on the wall a while back and decided that the biggest opportunity is in the class I UAV (<4.4lbs or 2 kg) group. If this goes through, those operating class I UAVs could operate commercially without FAA authorization and with a fair amount of freedom. I wonder if this means that the real expansion future for UAV makers is to keep below that 2kg threshold? What will this do to the future of Inspire class and bigger UAVs? What do you think?
Technically you already can, there's no enforceable law pertaining to commercial use of uavs, they are using full size aircraft laws till they release specific uav laws but they won't hold up in court. All they can do is try and get you for reckless engagement if you piss them off somehow, you don't technically need a 333. They aren't going after anyone without one unless they are flying dangerously and putting full size crafts at risk
 
  • Like
Reactions: slim.slamma
The whole flight over people thing is a distraction. Yes, there should be situations that you should be prohibited to fly over people without permission, but for most situations it's a needless rule. Is flying briefly over two people on your way to some other location a greater risk than attending a baseball game? Answer -- NO!

Yes, flying over dense groups of people is justifiably prohibited, but the idea that someone flying a drone that happens upon a couple hikers and flies over them is somehow a great risk is -- WRONG!

Of course, there are idiots out there that shouldn't be flying period and they can be expected to run into things including people and much of the rules and regulations are the consequence of the occasional idiot and the exaggerated stories about them.

I grew up in a house that was right next to a baseball field and attended many a little league game growing up. The ball field had a tall fence behind the catcher and shorter fences protecting the teams on the bench, but about every second game someone in the stands would get beaned by a foul ball and sometimes the injury would require an ambulance. Compared to being a spectator at a ballgame being around a drone flying is practically risk free.


Brian
 

Members online

No members online now.

Forum statistics

Threads
22,277
Messages
210,655
Members
34,321
Latest member
powerdry