Free My Drone

Hobbyist drones are becoming cheaper and easier to acquire for many who are looking for an easy way to get aerial video or just something to do in their spare time. One example of an easy to acquire drone is the DJI Phantom which ranges between $400 and $1200 depending on what version and camera accessories you get with it. Drones are beginning to make their way into the news, mostly because people are abusing them and our current laws don’t do much to regulate them.

               According to this article a man was arrested recently after flying a drone into the US Open venue. The man was not arrested for violating any drone laws, instead he was arrested for reckless endangerment. Currently there are only three FAA laws that regulate drones and they are 1) you cannot fly above 300ft, 2) you cannot fly within five miles of an airport, 3) you must fly within line of sight. From what I can tell this man violated the second and third law as the US Open was held in USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center which is right next to LaGuardia Airport and was piloting the drone from outside the stadium which would have cut off his line of sight. In addition to the FAA laws recent incidents have prompted other restrictions. Last month a man crashed a drone into the Grand Prismatic Spring which is the largest hot spring in Yellowstone National Park. Apparently park administrators believe the crash caused damage to the hot spring, but I don’t see how that is possible seeing as the drone in question was a 5lb DJI Phantom and the hot spring is 300ft wide pond, however it did prompt the National Park Service to ban drones in all national parks, a decision I disagree with because larger national parks are the safest place for many hobbyist to fly. Now that hobbyist can’t use national parks its more likely they will use their backyards and neighborhoods to get their drone fix.

               Personally I like drones and I believe they have awesome potential in many different areas. Unfortunately for me, these incidents are prompting stricter laws, regulations, and as a result of them I am losing my flying locations. With that said there are a few things I always take into consideration when I decide to fly my drone. The first are the three FAA laws, my drone’s flight controller stops it from going above 200ft, Hoboken is more than five miles away from EWR and LGA airports, and I always make sure to fly in an open area where I won’t lose line of sight. Additionally I always avoid flying near people, I make sure I am flying over public property or property that I am affiliated with (and not a national park), and I use a transmitter that binds with my drone and is immune to all interference. My drone has many additional safety features which I won’t get into, and I feel these safety features are often over looked by those who feel drones are unsafe or dangerous to civilians.

               I understand people’s concerns about drones spying on them, and pilots who fly them on private property outside a window to do this are clearly breaking the law. Rather than banning drones all together I think they should be regulated in a way that allows pilots to fly them in public areas and national parks if they can provide documentation that their drone is ‘certified’ and meets safety requirements along with a license that shows the pilot is qualified to operate it. These documents should be easy and free to obtain, otherwise it will discourage pilots from getting them. Drones are coming whether people like it or not, if we take appropriate steps and actions to regulate them without eliminating them I believe we can make everyone happy.