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FAA Has Approved More Than 1,000 Drone Exemptions
coondoggie writes: The Federal Aviation Administration today said it has issued 1,008 exemptions to businesses wanting to fly unmanned aircraft in the national airspace. Such small drones have been on the bad side of the news in the past few days: there have been at least three complaints about the diminutive aircraft flying near the flight path of JFK airport in New York. All three of the flights landed safely but the events prompted New York Senator Charles Schumer to call for "tougher FAA rules on drones," as well as geofencing software that could prohibit a done from flying higher than 500 feet, and keep it two miles away from any airport or sensitive area.
"...geofencing software that could prohibit a done from flying higher than 500 feet, and keep it two miles away from any airport or sensitive area."
...for those law-abiding drone operators who choose to use it.
1) Have the legislature pass a law against X with exemptions to be granted by agency Y and get the executive to sign it. (Ideally, X outlaws everyone from doing anything - see below.)
2) As an employee of agency Y, get into a position of power to grant exemptions
3) Accept bribes (quietly, the "invest $500K in my brother-in-law's fishing charter" kind) to grant exemptions to the law
4) PROFIT!
I am assuming they mean above ground, because otherwise it would be a stupid idea (I'm not saying that's impossible). Do you require drones to be equipped with laser or radar altimeters? Do you require them to use DTED?
... to fly drones outside your own personal property. That would solve many of these issues very quickly. Pilots are trained to understand airspace restrictions, to file flight plans, and to look up TFRs before they fly. Obviously, you can't trust normal people to do these things, so licenses should be required. Flying a drone without a license should be a prosecutable criminal offense, and even worse if you bust airspace.
Perhaps a drone shooting automated turret at the airport is in order.
It could also take out those pesky geese!
My eyes reflect the stars and a smile lights up my face.
This is SO FUCKING STUPID!! Is the FAA now opening a new division and hiring more bureaucrats just to process drone exception paperwork? What a stupid waste of money! That's how you know it was invented by government employees.
The real solution is very simple: just declare that drones are only allowed to fly in class Gulf airspace, knock it off with the bullshit bureaucracy, and watch sales of sectionals, airspace databases, and GPS units increase. THERE! I fixed that for ya.
Oh, and as common sense, don't piss people off by flying too close over their property. If you do, there's an increasing likelihood the property owner will pull out a gun or a net and bring your drone down. As with everything else in life, live in peace and don't piss off your neighbors! Government people, that last part is true but falls within the realm of "common sense", so it doesn't need to be codified in your regs.
See there? We made life easier for everyone involved and gave the economy a shot in the arm which increases the income tax base. More money for less work! Come on, government guys... WAKE UP!
So, how 'bout it, Slashdot community? Who's going to write some open source autopilot software that automatically keeps drones out of controlled airspace? How about an open source 3D airspace database? How about an open hardware ATC mode C transponder Arduino shield that also participates in TCAS and AIS-B to alert other aircraft of your drone's presence?
Feeling tongue-tied?
Don't waste your vote! Vote for whoever you want, unless you live in a swing state it won't matter anyways
Oh please, if you think I'm going to read all this idiotic Libertarian claptrap, you're deluded. (But then, you have to be deluded to believe this shit.)
The simple fact is that flying is extremely dangerous, and when pilots fuck up, it has serious consequences, usually worse if there's passengers, but even if there's not, they can cause catastrophic damage on the ground too. The government has every right to regulate airspace, just as it regulates roads to keep dangerous drivers off the highways so they don't kill people through their negligence and incompetence (unfortunately, the government isn't so good at identifying bad drivers, but it has the right to).
You probably think people and companies should be able to pollute all they want too.
We kill 30,000 people per year with drunk driving, and yet the federal govt does not license or test car drivers or drinkers.
Bullshit. The state governments license and test car drivers (poorly usually). If the federal government took it over, people like you would start screaming about the 10th Amendment. The Federal government handles aviation because planes routinely cross state lines, whereas interstate car traffic isn't remotely a majority of car traffic.
For that matter, over 50 people die per year in the US doing roofing work, should we require roofers to have federal licenses and get their equipment approved by the feds?
Again, this is probably something that's regulated by the states. You can't be a professional plumber without a state license. And again, people like you would be screaming about the 10th Amendment if the federal government tried to license contractors. And honestly, in that case you'd probably be right anyway; there's no need to license contractors at the federal level, and states can manage it better themselves since there are differences from state-to-state in what's allowed (local codes and such).
Are you trying to argue that your local or state government shouldn't be allowed to license plumbers, electricians, etc?
There were incidents with drones, but did that ones fly with a FAA exemption? Or were they unwarranted flyers?
An UAV license for buying a drone should be a law.
I am an UAV pilot myself. Flying a multi-rotor and fixed-wing UAV well is not that simple. It requires extensive theoretical and practical training.