Commercial flights deemed legal... Trappy won!







DucktileMedia

Drone Enthusiast
I know the usual suspects on here are taking this the right way but for the rest of the crowds, primarily the phantom owners, this is like a trial period. Dont **** up! This is like when mommy and daddy argue over letting their 16 year old daughter borrow the Benz for the weekend. They are watching you closely! We are watching you closely. There is a drone watching your drone!

Think of this like tight stretchy yoga pants. it's a privilege not a right. :)
 



kloner

Aerial DP
it was short lived, i'm 44 going on 80 so i lasted a few minutes then hit the stool again. Back to balancing props, gonna need em... hahaha
 



Motopreserve

Drone Enthusiast
Wow. It's just reassuring to see that a judge was able to see through the FAA's assertion that if they spit out a "guideline" or directive, that it is not in fact a law.

This is certainly a step in the right direction. But Iris is right, it's a tentative first step, with people/lawmakers watching and surely more steps to be coming down the pike. It would be productive if the AMA or some other organization could act as liaison between the FAA and the pilots, to ensure that the FAA feels that the community is taking this responsibility seriously. Perhaps this could lessen the blow from the lumps the FAA just took???

Obviously active participation between pilots and their their local representatives is going to be critical for the next phase of this debate. Seems like the folks up in the Northwest have had some decent results from their advocacy...
 


W. Reimer

Member
I read this news this morning; congratulations to my American friends! I agree; every single UAV operator in the country will be under a
microscope for the slightest sign of impropriety. It's almost certain the FAA will appeal, which will be something that won't likely hit the docket
in Washington for at least a year; more than enough time for irreparable damage to be done by some genius who's figured out a way to drop raw eggs from a hundred feet on their high school football rivals at the next game. It WILL happen, too.

It is very much in our power as "grown ups" to mentor these enthusiastic newcomers instead of chastising them, which many of us tend to do. Channel their minds and enthusiasm instead into finding ways to drop...say, strategic applications of herbicide on a farmers field...the same tech challenge with LONG TERM gratification rather than the short term glee from getting their opponents Q.B.s dead on the helmet.

The Judge involved is a realist, and supports the use of UAVs on some level. Let's keep fingers crossed his ruling stands and isn't defeated on some technicality on appeal. THEN you will have a legitimate start on functional regulation. Very good news for Trappy & company!
 
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jes1111

Active Member
Just got an email from AUVSI (Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International):
For Immediate Release – March 7, 2014Contact: Melanie Hinton
+1 571 255 7786
mhinton@auvsi.org

Statement of Michael Toscano, President and CEO of AUVSI On the National Transportation Safety Board’s Pirker Decision

Arlington, VA – Today, Michael Toscano, president & CEO of the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI), released the following statement on the National Transportation Safety Board’s Pirker Decision:

“We are reviewing the decision very carefully and we have also been in touch with the FAA to discuss its implications and the agency’s response. Our paramount concern is safety. We must ensure the commercial use of UAS takes place in a safe and responsible manner, whenever commercial use occurs. The decision also underscores the immediate need for a regulatory framework for small UAS.”

# # #

The Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) — the world's largest nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of unmanned systems — represents more than 7,000 members from 60 allied countries. AUVSI members are involved in the fields of government, industry and academia.

AUVSI represents all the "big boys" in the game.
 

kloner

Aerial DP
we belong to the auvsi as well, got it too, from them and several associations were associated with....

but yea, commercial uav companies that do war now are all in there..... this was the last thing the faa wanted, bet they scramble to make a law..... knee jerk one too
 

W. Reimer

Member
" this was the last thing the faa wanted, bet they scramble to make a law..... knee jerk one too"

That would certainly be my fear too. I'd imagine there are a number of "working lunches" talking place in the F.A.A. headquarters today, with some senior executives scratching their heads in disbelief, wondering what just happened, how on Earth it COULD happen, and what the heck they're going to do now? Given the deadlines they're facing currently, I'd find it hard to believe that they wouldn't have several drafts of regulations finished, and are engaged in "fine tuning", since none are anywhere close to being ready for Prime Time. Some combination of these drafts will make it to Prime Time though, ready or not. Better to have a law in place that's hard to get rid of and adjust it on the fly than to be caught sun tanning their dangly bits & waiting for divine intervention, which is pretty much what they've BEEN doing.

Pressure on the FAA has just gone up exponentially, and you can be sure any foolish behaviour on the part of pilots or companies in the interim will be turned into cannon fodder
 

Hopefully they do the right thing now and essentially stipulate what we've already been doing- line of sight, under 400' AGL and insured. That would be reasonable, ensure avoidance with full size ops and cover 95% of all low altitude aerial cine needs.

nick
 


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