First person to earn certificate action for drone operations.

n57flyguy said:
Where does the letter state that he did not file a NOTAM and that he was inside the Bravo?
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The NOTAM was not listed in that report, so I did search the historical NOTAM database to see if he did file one. As I suspected there was not a UAS/UAV notam on that day for that area, under both airports - LDJ & JFK.

https://notams.aim.faa.gov/notamSearch/nsapp.html#/results

Inside the bravo was a bad word choice, however inside the mode C veil around a bravo airport is a better description. Coney Island Boardwalk is underneath the 15/70 layer of the JFK/LGA/EWR bravo.
 
Am I the only one that sees that as a huge over reach? So he flew a small quad copter (not a drone) and they arrest him and then the FAA takes legal action against is pilot's license? He was not using his pilot's license nor is it required to fly a drone regardless of what he failed to do while flying his R/C model.

This is getting ridiculous. I get it if you fly your model in an airplane's flight path, but we are going down the Gestapo rabbit hole. This is what happens when the government tries to regulate everything.
 
phoenix 23684 said:
Am I the only one that sees that as a huge over reach? So he flew a small quad copter (not a drone) and they arrest him and then the FAA takes legal action against is pilot's license? He was not using his pilot's license nor is it required to fly a drone regardless of what he failed to do while flying
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It is not overreach, he was operating as a commercial operation. That does require a pilot certificate and regulations for hire operations. There is a distinction between recreational hobbyists and commercial operators.


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I agree with the article when it states that people like us, who know the regs, won't operate them because of fear of having our license suspended. I myself have a huge interest in r/c quads and automation, but have stayed on the sidelines because I foresaw the FAA taking action against licenses.

We're used to government regulation in our industry but guys this is bad for the entire economy. These quads/drones are going to be huge and the more the FAA and LE tries to overreach and but the squash on them the further behind the US will be.
 
CFI A&P said:
The NOTAM was not listed in that report, so I did search the historical NOTAM database to see if he did file one. As I suspected there was not a UAS/UAV notam on that day for that area, under both airports - LDJ & JFK.

https://notams.aim.faa.gov/notamSearch/nsapp.html#/results

Inside the bravo was a bad word choice, however inside the mode C veil around a bravo airport is a better description. Coney Island Boardwalk is underneath the 15/70 layer of the JFK/LGA/EWR bravo.
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The boardwalk at Coney Island is under the 05+/70 shelf the beach itself is in the surface area for JFK, and as far as I am concerned the drone might as well be too, that area gets a lot of manned air traffic transitioning along the beach at or below 500. It is busy enough that I almost always get flight following, and there is almost always other aircraft transitioning (in addition to multiple wake turbulence advisories). No one has any business operating a UAV there without a transponder, and a pilot should know better. The FAAs job is to keep the NAS safe and this is absolutely within their scope of authority.

Edit: You are right about the shelf, but there are still a lot of low flying aircraft in that area, gotta be at 500 by about a mile east without a bravo clearance
 
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Just the other night, I got called out to check out a reported drone that had had a near miss with an EMS helo departing its hospital pad.

Low and behold, there it was, navigation lights and all, flying at a couple hundred feet right around the hospital area.
 
CFI A&P said:
The NOTAM was not listed in that report, so I did search the historical NOTAM database to see if he did file one. As I suspected there was not a UAS/UAV notam on that day for that area, under both airports - LDJ & JFK.

https://notams.aim.faa.gov/notamSearch/nsapp.html#/results

Inside the bravo was a bad word choice, however inside the mode C veil around a bravo airport is a better description. Coney Island Boardwalk is underneath the 15/70 layer of the JFK/LGA/EWR bravo.
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The point is - did he need to file a NOTAM? And it not being in the Bravo, so what if he is under a Mode C veil?
 
n57flyguy said:
The point is - did he need to file a NOTAM? And it not being in the Bravo, so what if he is under a Mode C veil?
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From I understand, every flight of a commercial drone operated by a 333 has to have a NOTAM. I don't have a 333 exception nor do I fly drones but that is what I was told by a local 333 operator.

Being inside the mode C is not as much as a problem as being inside B, but it isn't exactly remote Kansas either. It is still a very populated area.


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CFI A&P said:
From I understand, every flight of a commercial drone operated by a 333 has to have a NOTAM. I don't have a 333 exception nor do I fly drones but that is what I was told by a local 333 operator.

Being inside the mode C is not as much as a problem as being inside B, but it isn't exactly remote Kansas either. It is still a very populated area.


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While he owns the LLC its not clear whether or not he was operating for hire. It doesn't help for the purpose of inference, but I have not read the police report or anything from the investigation that led to this enforcement action by the FAA.
 
I stand corrected, the company he was filming for does have a 333 exemption. Which might explain the enforcement action was fast and swift.

In the FAA's notice of proposed certificate action, it is discussed that he was operating the drone on "behalf of SkyCamUSA for the customer Thor Equities for compensation."

http://www.skycamusa.com/
 
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I don't care if he was flying to the moon with it. What does his CPL have to do with flying a drone? People this is the problem, an extreme over reach and should not be tolerated. I'm pretty sure anyone can get a commercial drone "whatever" permit to fly for hire, and I'm pretty certain it does not involve getting a PPL, CPL, ATP. What's next if I'm doing camera work when skydiving, will my ATP be at risk if I do something that can be considered careless?
 
phoenix 23684 said:
I don't care if he was flying to the moon with it. What does his CPL have to do with flying a drone? People this is the problem, an extreme over reach and should not be tolerated. I'm pretty sure anyone can get a commercial drone "whatever" permit to fly for hire, and I'm pretty certain it does not involve getting a PPL, CPL, ATP. What's next if I'm doing camera work when skydiving, will my ATP be at risk if I do something that can be considered careless?
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You may not care if they fly to the moon with it, but the FAA and maybe NASA will.

I'm pretty sure you didn't read post #8, or anything from any industry organization pertaining to commercial drone operations, or any other news source on the subject.

I'm pretty sure you're uniformed on this subject.

Commercial operations (FOR HIRE) require a 333 exemption, manuals, ops specs as if it were a 121 or 135 operator, a licensed pilot to operate the drone. You can fly a DJI Phantom or whatever in for fun without a 333, however to operate for hire....

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=FAA+333+exemption

I'm pretty sure anyone can get the 333 exemption if you follow the application process and comply with the privileges and limitations of the exemption.
 
Checking in with @MikeD on this one. I am a commercial UAV operator - 333, PPL, N-numbers - and we occasionally operate around hospitals on commercial and hobby flights. FAA UAS regs require notification prior to operation, but trying to actually DO that is something else. My call goes initially to security, then the ED, then ICU, then admin, then marketing, and then to a voicemail. One hospital wants an email sent to their attorney. We never get the HEMS operators, and when I've called them the calls have never been returned.

A few of us - DAMN few - are trying to notify those operating on the helipads, but somebody's gotta take the call.
 
phoenix 23684 said:
I don't care if he was flying to the moon with it. What does his CPL have to do with flying a drone? People this is the problem, an extreme over reach and should not be tolerated. I'm pretty sure anyone can get a commercial drone "whatever" permit to fly for hire, and I'm pretty certain it does not involve getting a PPL, CPL, ATP. What's next if I'm doing camera work when skydiving, will my ATP be at risk if I do something that can be considered careless?
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I'm in the process of getting my 333 exemption and it is a very lengthy process. Right now, wait times are 6 months if there are no problems. All commercial uas operations require a minimum of ppl, and manuals, as stated above. All people doing this for hire should know all the regs and restrictions, which include notams issued, etc. This will actually help the drone operators with the FAA actually enforcing the restrictions it has in place.
 
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