14 CFR Part 107 (UAS) – Drone Operators Are Not Pilots

[Jagerbomb52]

14 CFR Part 107 (UAS) – Drone Operators Are Not Pilots - sUAS News - The Business of Drones

 

[dirtracer7207]

So what I got out of reading that is they want to make it harder for us to buy a UAV. Or make us have a permit, or license prior to buying/using UAVs.

 

[Jagerbomb52]

Sounds to me they want you to become full blown pilots

 

[xspwhite]

I tried to read that whole paper but it just got to boring and I started to fall asleep. All that ranting and raving about 107 pilots, but he never showed where any of the incidents in his examples actually involved a part 107 unmanned aircraft pilot?

Also, he failed to give one example of one person being injured or killed. He made no mention of how easy it is to get a manned aircraft license and how many of these individuals break FAA laws everyday, or how many people are killed in car accidents everyday by crappy drivers some who can't even speak english. Also he made no mention of close calls that aircraft have had with kites.

I do agree that a lot of idiots are doing stupid thngs when flying their quadcopters, and I do think that too many people are flying their quads before even reading the manual. I see a lot of youtube videos of people breaking FAA laws with their quadcopters, but I don't think that any of them have taken the part 107 test.

So my conclusion is that anyone flying a quadcopter should have an unmanned aircraft license, but I do not agree with this guy saying that all you have to do is watch a two hour video and take the test. He is simply is lieing or he just has no idea what he is talking about.

 

[Busdriver]

Given I'm the "NFG" on here as well as having been the recipient of "idiots doing stupid things", I'll try to maintain my objectivity and not get too far down in the weeds with the semantics. By way of qualification, I have personally had to execute evasive/emergency maneuvers while "low, slow and dirty" on approach due to suddenly finding myself up-close and personal with a sizable drone - Not advised in an 150,000 lb aircraft. I have also met the person who thought flying over a Federal/maximum security prison and obtaining close up photos of a pair of nesting Bald Eagles was a good idea. Yes, it was the same guy. Yes, in both cases, he was sighted and had is equipment confiscated and currently faces over $10k in fines. Possible jail time for the prison fiasco.

As UAS "pilots", we need to recognize that "The enemy is inside-the-wire." As much as I have been critical of the FAA over the years, they aren't really the bad guys here, perhaps their methodology.

In usual fashion, the FAA is behind the 8 ball with respect to creating a safe airspace environment where unmanned and manned aircraft can co-exist. Their typical m.o. is to play "catch up", usually with a series of knee jerk reactions. As a result, poor or little guidance is provided to other agencies such as Law Enforcement, Fish and Game etc. Hence they are left to "make their own rules". The FAA will take this in small steps, thus making it appear they are trying to kill your Constitutional rights to own and operate a drone but, in fact, it's an attempt to play CYA.

If you think this is bad, wait until a commercial aircraft "sucks a drone".

So the moral of the story - promote the safe operation of drones through education and awareness. Doing so will only help this industry evolve instead of becoming further restricted. Case-in-point, I was in a hobby store a year ago and overhead the salesperson telling the father and son (who were thinking about buying an AXP), " you don't need to register it and you can fly it anywhere you want at any time." Rather than ignore the conversation, I interrupted the salesperson and began to set him straight. The father replied, "you sound like you know a bit about this, would you sit down with us and tell us how and where we can fly it?"

They bought the drone. I did. Future regulatory problem avoided.

As for the author of this article, it appears he's "flown a bit too high without oxygen for too long."