3D Robotics

3689588437?profile=original

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.

E-mail me when people leave their comments –

You need to be a member of diydrones to add comments!

Join diydrones

Comments

  • I 100% agree and I think everyone here does too. Those of us scoffing at the FAA are those who understand the FAA has no clue about the technology and are incapable of regulating it properly. People in this thread are generalizing everyone's viewpoints when in-fact we all basically agree with one-another. 

    I will agree with Robert that "whoever uses DJI has no clue about UAV's." I think generally you can conclude that anyone that drops thousands on a decked out S800 is a complete moron. Literally almost everyone I meet that says they also have one is flying a phantom or AR drone and then proceed to ask me the most basic of questions about my rigs. It's unfortunate that the Chinese have made it so easy for people to ruin our hobby :( 

  • SO they think harrasing pot heads will get them sympathetic ears now.  They are making headlines harassing everyone and it is not doing them any good.

  • I will fly mine on the the odd days and therefore it will not be routine.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIoCafn27Ds

    YouTube
  • Hi Guys,

    Sadly these FAA posts which are brought on by the FAA itself always devolve into a pro or anti FAA contest.

    Not the point really, the FAA isn't going away, it would just be a lot better for everybody's perception of them if they handled these things with a bit less fanfare and billy club and a lot more reason and thoughtfulness.

    In the long run we will be stuck with the FAA in any case, somehow I hope we can find a way to get them pointed in a reasonable direction.

    So far they are behaving more like Buster Keaton in the Little Dictator only not nearly as funny.

    My expectations for the future are not bright as a result of their actions so far.

    Possibly they are just trying to make clear to the people who fund them how completly incapable of handling this they currently are without a lot more funding and a lot more personnel.

    I guess if that is their purpose they are doing a pretty good job, although the way they are going about it, I would think that the first thing any oversight committee would do is replace everybody at the top. 

  • Yes, I'm going to stir it up a bit. I am appalled by many peoples reaction to all of the FAA news. These comments are immature and extremely uneducated .Who else is going to regulate transportation besides the government?

    If the government says "drive on the right side of the road", do you listen? I hope so.  Is there perhaps a reason for regulation? Are small UAV's going to become part of the economy, or just stay as toys? 

    And finally, do you really think a DJI heli is safe enough to fly over people? Any UAV, especially DJI controlled machines, are merely flying sledgehammers (10lbs x 9.81 metres/second Squared)  waiting for their next failure, whether it be hardware, software, or most likely human error? (if anybody is flying DJI it means they are beginners and have absolutely no clue about  UAV's) 

    I used to think governments were being too tight on UAV use. After 3 years of commercial operations I finally get it. Nobody has the right to risk other peoples lives or safety!

  • Commercial? Painting, wood carving, surfing, photography, I could give examples all day.
  • Why do I bother. You're a waste of time to converse with on this matter because you are going to rant about what you want to rant about, not what someone actually said. It's just not worth repeating myself when you're going to keep ignoring it anyway.  

  • Well that's the problem. It's not the same air space is it?
  • You're not widening anything for me.  In all of your long drawn out rants, you have no once said something I didn't already know.  Even when you put words in my mouth.

  • Well as usual you're going to ignore what others say and put words in their mouth for your own rants. Again. Nevermind.

This reply was deleted.