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FAA Commercial Shutdown

Posted by Rory Paul on February 25, 2013 at 8:30am

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If anyone in the group has or knows of anyone that has been shutdown for commercial sUAS use would you please contact me.

roryp at volt aerial robotics dot com

Thanks

Rory

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Comments

  • Rob_Lefebvre February 25, 2013 at 2:34pm

    everyone believes that the FAA will open up the skies in the next year or so.. 2015 likely... so by the time you got the equipment, got experience, and then got clients and then got a letter you likely would not have long to wait..

    If you read the thread I linked to, you'll see that those professionals thought they'd only have to wait a few months, as the FAA was supposed to make a rule shortly... and that was in 2011!

    Robert, The key is for all of us to "just do it". 

    I actually started to make a comment about civil disobedience... but being a non-resident alien, I thought better of it. ;)

    But it does seem to me this is like speeding.  It's not criminal.  And if everybody is doing 10 over, then nobody is going to get a ticket for going 10 over.... ;)

    The big question here is, what is the penalty?  What happens if you do it, and something goes wrong?  Are you going to get some $100,000 fine from the FAA, or are you just going to get a letter saying you shouldn't have done that...?

    So who would the neighbor call to report you?  Police?.

    I doubt it.  One of my co-workers can't get the police to enforce environmental laws on a neighbour who incinerates garbage in his woodstove in the shop, leaving black putrid smoke wafting over the neighbourhood, you think they're going to care that somebody is flying a toy helicopter over your property?

    hopefully the big guys will be at 30k feet or so... with commercial freight flights or something...

    No, the problem isn't THOSE guys.  It's guys like Aerovironment who just got a new contract for 3 Qube quads at $300,000.  Those are the guys who would worry about guys like us...

    In canada don't you have to file a flight plan and have two operators and such?

    I'm not sure if the two operators is mandatory for all flights, but it's not a bad idea anyway.  The second operator could be a kid earning $10/hr armed with a set of binoculars.  It's not a big deal.  I have heard that Transport Canada have started issuing yearly blanket SFOC's that cover unlimited flights in some areas (rural or suburban).  This is awesome.

  • Moderator
    Sgt Ric February 25, 2013 at 2:21pm

    Canada's version of a COA form

    Visit the DIYDrones Canada group for details

  • LanMark February 25, 2013 at 2:13pm

    In canada don't you have to file a flight plan and have two operators and such?

  • Moderator
    Dwgsparky February 25, 2013 at 2:12pm

    Like many others here I will run my business in a safe and proffessional manner for the benefit of everyone, But I want to do it in the OPEN , I dont want to hide behind the trees.

    I still see that the defence contractors and boeing as well as many other BIG companies will do all the lobbying  they need to keep us little guys out by making sure that the FAA rules make the hoops too big for us to jump through. In Canada at least we seem to have some flexibility to operate.

  • Joshua Ott February 25, 2013 at 1:40pm

    The point Dwgsparky brings up regarding the neighbors rights is great because it quickly narrows the issue down. We can separate from the thorny issue of privacy rights immediately. 

    Most of our interests in using flying robots involve a direct service to the landowner. Transgressions over non-affiliated parties property would likely be the result of accidents or poor mission planning. Operators will have to face the consequences of these risks. Similar to any other contractor.

  • Moderator
    Sgt Ric February 25, 2013 at 1:32pm

    ..and thats another thing, this Test Site plan reminds me of the movie "Hud" where they rounded up all the cattle into pits and slaughtered them!

    Paranoid?  You bet.

     

    http://www.aopa.org/advocacy/articles/2013/130219faa-seeks-test-sit...

    404 Error
  • LanMark February 25, 2013 at 1:20pm

    Dwgsparky.. hopefully the big guys will be at 30k feet or so... with commercial freight flights or something... but yeah.. there is that risk of something.. which is actually why I have a LLC and company entity that I am and will be using for all commercial activity.. I think it will be easier for a legal entity to be granted a use permit (assuming they do permits) then a single person asking for permission.. but who knows how they will open the sky up... require a flight plan?  commercial permits?   who knows.

  • T3
    Rory Paul February 25, 2013 at 1:18pm

    I have over the last few months come to agree with Joshua. I lost all respect for the FAA's ability to progress in good faith when they use "privacy concerns" to delay the test site process. The longer they delay in providing progressive policy the more likely they are to find themselves in a situation where they no longer control the situation.

  • Moderator
    Sgt Ric February 25, 2013 at 1:16pm

    Dwg brings up both sides of this sword.  ...You or your client's right to have your equipt flying above the property, and that of anyone else to prevent overflights by claiming privacy rights, especially these days when the media is whipping up anti-spying paranoia.

     

  • Moderator
    Dwgsparky February 25, 2013 at 1:15pm
    @ Mark. I hear all the talk of open skies but the reality it that the big guys will do all the lobbying to make it very difficult for us little guys.
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