From ABC News in Denver:
DENVER - The Federal Aviation Administration announced Tuesday that it is launching an official investigation around the drone that was seen flying over the 4/20 rally in Denver on Sunday.
"Anyone who wants to fly an aircraft -- manned or unmanned -- in U.S. airspace needs some level of authorization from the FAA," Allen Kenitzer from the FAA wrote in an email.
Authorization can be for either the private sector for purposes such as research or training, or for public use, which requires a Certificate of Waiver or Authorization (COA) for public aircraft.
But drones are sometimes considered model aircraft, which only have to follow FAA guidelines. Those guidelines say hobby aircraft-flyers must keep their aircrafts below 400 feet above ground level and away from airports and air traffic. Besides this, the guidelines specifically exclude the flying of model aircraft for business purposes.
The FAA website says that "routine operation" of Unmanned Aircraft Systems over densely-populated areas is not allowed.
Comments
If they're only concerned with safety, they wouldn't be going out of their way to prohibit commercial use. Most of which is functionally no different than hobby use. Oh wait, it is something new they can regulate and add a fee or tax to. Imagine that. The FAA couldn't make a sensible statement let alone regulation on this matter if it was handed to them on a golden scroll.
Right, Paul, it might have been unsafe, and had anything bad happened the operator would have been subject to legal action under a bunch of criminal and civil laws that don't require any input or action whatsoever from the FAA or any other out-of-control pompous pack of worthless lying bureaucrats.
Oh good grief. What are they going to do now to "investigate" this? Interview a bunch of stoned teenagers? Yoooooo duuuuuude ya I saw that drooonee! Looks like they're still upset about that pesky federal judge telling them they're not allowed to do exactly what they're once again trying to do.
Things like this keep the FAA on their toes. Irresponsible operators that feel the need to fly over crowds are instigating the whole mess.
Mmmmmkay. So assuming that means ultralights do have authorization, and assuming similar guidelines are in place for flying models..... Can't quote it off the top of my head, what's the problem?
As we are all rc pilots and generally think the FAA is a load of crap, I do have to agree that this kind of thing is a little bit sketchy. The hex is easily 6kg's of chinese parts hovering over a huge amount of people and property. I live in Denver and met a guy with a couple of these S800's (it might even have been him) that literally has no clue how they work or even how to fly. He told me stories of him piling one of his $6000 units into the side of the apartment buildings he lives at. Then told me a story about his DJI pre-built S800 came with an XT-60 connector for the battery. AN XT60 CONNECTOR!!!! I asked him if the thing failed on him and he was impressed that I made that assumption and was right. These things have become so popular lately that these morons are attempting to ruin it for everyone.
/endrant
@ Euan + 100% Our government feels even less responsibility to justify its actions when it relates to other countries.
In fact, the disfunctionality of the FAA is certainly part of a larger condition, but they have taken it to a new low (or high) depending on your perspective.
We need good laws and regulations, but unfortunately, everything the FAA has done so far indicates that that is becoming an increasingly unlikely outcome.
Steady now there are definitions in air law for congested areas. Generally the yellow bits on sectional charts.
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