There is widespread and understandable concern among pilots about irresponsible fliers of modern hobby drones—often quadcopters equipped with cameras—and the damage these devices could cause to aircraft. Operators of these drones need to be extremely careful about where and how they fly them because they could cause serious damage in a midair with a full-size aircraft. Pilots are right to be concerned: just looking at some of the online footage captured by these drones indicates that many are being flown in areas that are off limits and dangerous.
I recently purchased a quadcopter, the capable Yuneec Q500 Typhoon equipped with a gimbal-mounted high-definition camera. I was introduced to the Q500 by Ben Marcus, co-founder of jet brokerage JetAviva and more recently founder of Drone23.com, which is the exclusive aviation sales outlet for the Yuneec Q500. Marcus is eager to have airmen try quadcopter flying and is providing licensed pilots a $50 discount off the $1,299 retail price for the Q500.
Drones are rapidly gaining attention, not only from those who want to use them for inexpensive aerial photography but also from regulators trying to figure out how the machines can safely be allowed to fly in the National Airspace System (NAS). Meanwhile, the guidelines published by the Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA) help promote a safe operating environment and may form a basis for FAA regulation of hobby drones.
That the FAA has regulatory authority over hobby drones now seems inescapable, following the NTSB decision last November affirming the FAA’s claim that model aircraft are aircraft subject to FAA oversight. The FAA is supposed to release a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) soon for rules that will apply to sub-55-pound drones (officially unmanned aircraft systems), including commercial operation.
The AMA National Model Aircraft Safety Code applies to model aircraft weighing 55 pounds or less and says to “Not fly higher than approximately 400 feet above ground level within three (3) miles of an airport without notifying the airport operator.” The new FAA regulations are expected to reflect the Safety Code, but we won’t know until the NPRM is released. Currently, the FAA refers model fliers to Advisory Circular 91-57, which is similar to the AMA Safety Code. The FAA and a coalition of associations recently published guidelines on small unmanned aircraft systems, and these seem realistic and fair.
Meanwhile, Marcus encourages pilots to learn more about drones, and I agree, which is one reason why I bought the Q500. Before I learned to fly regular airplanes, I flew radio-control model aircraft and I still have a few electric RC airplanes. Flying the Q500 is nothing like RC airplanes; the technology has advanced to an incredible degree. The four-rotor Q500 weighs just 60 ounces with battery and can fly for up to 25 minutes (depending on how long the camera is running). The camera is smooth and stable and can shoot 12-megapixel still photos and 1080p video at 48 to 60 fps. A first-person-view (FPV) display on the handheld controller shows the view from the camera. The Q500 can fly at up to 8,000 feet but is limited to 400 feet agl, and it also carries a database that keeps it from operating within four miles of most larger airports. Take a look at some of my recent footage:
It’s tempting to fly the drone in a lot of places where it’s either against local laws or just not a good idea. I’d like to try out some aviation-related uses of this drone, such as photographing a jet for sale or shooting video of an aircraft salvage facility, but I won’t do this without making sure that it’s authorized and legal.
Note that the FAA can and will bust RC and drone pilots for violating existing regulations (14 C.F.R. §§ 91.13-91.15, 91.113, 91.126-135, 91.137-145 and 14 C.F.R. part 73), and if the operator is a holder of an FAA certificate, this process could result in loss of that certificate. According to FAA 2150.3B Chg 6 Appendix H, “For a deliberate, egregious violation by a certificate holder, regardless of whether the certificate holder is exercising the privileges of the certificate in connection with the violations associated with a UAS operation, certificate action may be appropriate. Such certificate action may be in addition to a civil penalty.”