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For the First Time Ever, the FAA Is Trying To Fine a Drone Hobbyist

Posted by Soulskill on from the be-careful-with-your-rc-helicopters dept.

Jason Koebler writes: "For the first time ever, the Federal Aviation Administration is trying to fine a hobby drone operator, a development that threatens to throw the whole hobby into disarray if the agency successfully levies the fine. While the FAA has explicitly said it doesn't want anyone flying drones commercially, it has never issued similar suggestions about hobby flight, which is why it has been just fine for some guy to fly a drone above a tornado, but illegal, in the FAA's eyes, for a journalist to do the same. That has changed, according to the agency. A spokesperson for the FAA told me that the agency 'has proposed a civil penalty against an individual in New York City. The operator, who is a hobbyist, flew a drone carelessly or recklessly and violated air traffic rules as well. He ran the drone into a couple of buildings and it crash-landed 20 feet from a person (video).'"

3 of 297 comments (clear)

  1. Pretty big differencfe by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    There is quite a lot of difference between fining someone for behaving in a way that puts other people in danger and fining someone for operating a drone.

    The only problem I have with this is that FAA is involved.

    1. Re:Pretty big differencfe by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I agree. If he violated any restricted airspace, bring in the FAA. A few dented buildings, a frightened bystander, and a broken drone? Call the cops and haul him away for reckless endangerment and destruction of property. Make him pay for being an idiot that way.

    2. Re:Pretty big differencfe by Impy+the+Impiuos+Imp · · Score: 5, Insightful

      This. The FAA should be concerned with intrusion into air lanes and restricted airspace, not some ass crashing it onto a bicyclist. The BATF generally does not concern itself with people misusing guns in general as that is a local police issue.

      In any case, are the Regulation-4-Everything Yes!!! types starting to see an issue with agencies adopting new memes to self-authorize control in new areas, outside normal political channels, which is to say, channels directly responsive to the voter?

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      (-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.