FPV might be the most fun part of the RC hobby, but the FAA is trying to regulate it because of a few experienced pilots and the people who have “the cool new flying camera gadget” flying their quadcopters (mostly DJI Phantoms, which DJI has advertised as flying gadgets) dangerously (over people, over restricted airspace, etc.). These aircraft are NOT gadgets! They have spinning rotors that can cause a lot of damage!
So, I decided to write a list of things to do when flying FPV to keep people safe (and the FAA happy!).
1. Don’t Fly over People: Common sense!!! Yet, many seem to do it. What if, for example, you had some kind of in-flight failure as you flew over people (and innocent puppies!) and your quad copter fell and crashed onto those people’s heads? It could severely hurt them, not to mention the legal nightmare.
2. Try Not To Fly Over Houses and Cars: Your FPV aircraft could damage a house or car if it crashes into it. Even though it’s not likely that a MICRO aircraft, like the ones discussed on umFlight, could damage the house, let alone hurt someone inside, but it could. I guess that you COULD fly over your own house as the house is yours… If you do end up flying over a house, stay calm: it’s not likely that anything will happen. However, get it away from the house or car in a timely manner.
3. Don’t Spy on People: First of all, you don’t spy on people. Secondly, one of the reasons why people are afraid of “drones” is because of the cameras as they are afraid that they’ll used for spying. Just don’t do it, please.
4. Don’t Fly (Too) High: This isn’t much of an issue with ultra micros because of their usually-limited range, but don’t fly over 400 feet within 5-10 miles of an airport. The FAA also doesn’t want you to fly over 400 feet above ground level anywhere else. Flying this high, mostly around airports, can put your RC plane/quadcopter in the path of a larger full-scale plane.
5. Don’t Fly Over Restricted Airspace: It is currently illegal to fly over many areas such as the White House. It’s ILLEGAL, so don’t do it!
Conclusion:
Well, that is all I can think of today. I just want to note that, from now on, I’m not guaranteeing new posts at a specific time on Sundays anymore, but they’ll still be published on Sundays as usual.
Thanks for reading, and be sure to leave a comment if you have any other things to add. Enjoy, comment, and please subscribe to umFlight below this post if you enjoyed this post!
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