I keep seeing posts about people ignoring drone rules, either by mistake or on purpose. This is a serious issue.
If more people realized how much trouble they could get into, they might think twice before flying in restricted areas.
Even though no one has been killed by a drone under 250g, that doesn’t mean the authorities don’t take violations seriously.
Authorities don’t really arrest people for drone violations.
How many arrests happen per day? Close to none.
Hadi said:
Authorities don’t really arrest people for drone violations.
How many arrests happen per day? Close to none.
They don’t arrest, but they do hand out fines. And if a federal officer gets involved, expect a fine from the FAA too.
I’ll believe arrests happen when I see one after that guy flew into the Washington Monument and the Vegas Sphere.
Drone laws are mostly civil, not criminal. You’d have to do something like intentionally fly into someone or use a drone for illegal activities to get arrested. Things like flying in restricted areas or going beyond visual line of sight usually result in fines or losing your drone.
@Remi
That makes sense.
My mini 4 pro is 270g. Should I register it or am I overthinking this?
Drew said:
My mini 4 pro is 270g. Should I register it or am I overthinking this?
It’s just $5. Might as well do it. Pilot Institute sends free stickers with your ID number too.
Drew said:
My mini 4 pro is 270g. Should I register it or am I overthinking this?
It’s just $5. Might as well do it. Pilot Institute sends free stickers with your ID number too.
Yeah, no point in skipping registration just to save $5. I’ll probably only fly recreationally for now, but I’ve thought about getting the 107 license to have fewer restrictions. The way drone laws keep changing, it might be a good idea.
I’d say the number of arrests is close to zero. I saw a guy sitting in his car flying FPV in a park full of kids. A police car drove by, didn’t stop, didn’t care.
Kai said:
I’d say the number of arrests is close to zero. I saw a guy sitting in his car flying FPV in a park full of kids. A police car drove by, didn’t stop, didn’t care.
Local police don’t enforce FAA rules.
@Zan
In my city, you can’t take off from a park. Cops don’t control airspace, but they can stop you from launching.
Most don’t care unless you’re causing problems. Park rangers, though, they’ll definitely say something.
@Zan
Right, they can’t enforce airspace laws, but they can find another reason to stop you.
Most of the time, drone violations just lead to warnings. The FAA prefers education over punishment.
True said:
Most of the time, drone violations just lead to warnings. The FAA prefers education over punishment.
Tell that to the guy who landed a drone at McCarran Airport. That fine will follow him for life.
Most drone enforcement is after the fact.
They’re not stopping people mid-flight unless they’re reckless or cause damage. If you hurt someone, break laws, or fly unregistered over 250g in the wrong place, then you could have problems.
That’s the thing. There’s no real danger. No one has ever been killed by a small drone. But like anything, rules won’t change until something bad happens, just like roads that only get traffic lights after a crash.
@Palmer
So basically, a disaster has to happen before things change. That’s frustrating but also kind of how it works.
Unless you’re this guy…