Unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), commonly known as drones, have a variety of applications, including law enforcement, ground surveillance, wildlife tracking, search and rescue operations, disaster relief, border protection, and recreational use. Drones have become a part of our daily lives, especially among drone enthusiasts. Today, more than 1.1 million recreational drones are registered with the Federal Aviation Administration. The federal government is the primary regulator of aircraft operations and exercises significant control over the regulation of drones. In recent years, the Federal Aviation Administration has taken a number of steps to further integrate UAS operations into the mainstream, although some important ones remain. Currently, non-recreational operations of drones weighing less than 55 pounds are regulated below what is commonly referred to as “Part 107” of federal regulations. It requires the operator to have a remote pilot certificate and that the drone remain in the line of sight of the operator or a visual observer, and prevents operations from taking place either over people who are not involved in the drone operation or at night. Night is defined as “between the end of evening civil twilight and the beginning of morning civil twilight, as published in Air Almanac, converted to local time.” There are three main steps that drone owners must follow to fly in accordance with the rules of Part 107: I am a licensed land surveyor and a certified drone pilot employed by a construction company. We are working for a university on a very large construction project. The university has a policy on drones that requires additional training (from them from me). Fly only if it is escorted. Only fly at the exact time requested (we fly once a week and have to apply every week). If the weather prevents us from flying, we will have to wait until the following week.

I don`t think they have any competence for me beyond that of the FAA regulations. What do you think? Believe me, we will not be approaching them anytime soon to challenge their regulations. In addition, Section 351 codifies the existing pilot program for the integration of unmanned aircraft (IPP) launched last year by the Department of Transportation (DOT) (more information below). Two other sections that affect the interaction of states and drones are sections 346 and 379. Section 346 codifies the DOT`s current authority to authorize the operation of public aircraft and provides advice and support to government agencies wishing to operate unmanned aerial vehicles. Section 379 requires the FAA to provide the public with information through a database of state and commercial operators authorized to operate UAS in national airspace. The information includes where UAS is registered, summary descriptions of operations, and information about UAS that collects personally identifiable information. The exception for the limited operation of unmanned aerial vehicles (USC 44809) is the law that describes how, when and where you can fly drones for recreational purposes. If you follow these rules, people, your drone and our airspace will stay safe: can my drone fly to someone`s house if a window is open? And fly freely through their house, if they break my drone, can I sue them? To fly a drone for recreational purposes, you must pass the Recreational UAS Safety Test (TRUST) required by the FAA.

We are proud to be an FAA-approved test administrator. Participate in the free online training and receive your certificate of completion with UAV Coach. Can a neighbor legally fly his personal drone over other neighbors` private property? Richard, it is illegal to disrupt drones. Shooting drones is a federal offense. At least eight states — Florida, Idaho, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, South Dakota, Vermont and Virginia — have enacted 11 laws in 2020 that deal with unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), commonly known as drones. Another important set of provisions that affect drones, while not specifically targeting states, was Section 349, which redefines the rules for operating recreational drones by repealing Section 336 of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2012, which severely limited the FAA`s power to regulate recreational drones. The new operating rules would require the completion of an aviation safety and knowledge test, registration and labelling of the recreational drone, and operation in accordance with safety guidelines developed in coordination with the FAA by a community body. In addition, Section 376 requires the FAA to establish a pilot program to make more extensive use of remote drone detection and identification, including a mechanism for state law enforcement officials to report suspected operation of unmanned aircraft in violation of applicable federal laws and regulations.

Similarly, Section 376 requires the FAA to plan for full operational traffic management capability for unmanned aerial vehicle (UTM) systems by establishing, among other things, a comprehensive plan for the implementation of UTM safety standards and delineating the roles and responsibilities of public and private actors.