Drone Law Archives

May 21, 2024 | Drone Law

FAA Civil Penalties for Drone Operators – Everything You Need To Know

On October 19, 2015, DOT Secretary Anthony Foxx and FAA Administrator Michael Huerta revealed the news that essentially recreational drone pilots will need to register their drones with the government before the end of the year. These new registration requirements are largely in response to the numerous complaints of “close calls” with UAVs and other […]

February 9, 2021 | Drone Law | Pilot Law

Drone Operations Near Super Bowl LV

Drone Operations near the Super Bowl LV could lead to substantial fines from the FAA. Many novice and hobbyist Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) or “drone” operators may be in for a big shock if caught operating a drone in defiance of the FAA’s Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) during the Super Bowl LV. On February 7, […]

May 12, 2016 | Drone Law | Section 333 Exemption

Section 333 Loophole For News Media Use of UAS?

A recent legal interpretation put out by the FAA addresses Section 333 issues concerning news media use of UAS in the National Airspace System. Particularly, the issues being addressed are: 1) whether members of the media may use UAS for newsgathering; 2) whether the media can use pictures or videos collected by non-media affiliated UAS […]

December 17, 2015 | Drone Law | Section 333 Exemption

Section 333 Attorney or Section 333 Preparation Company?

All commercial UAV operators have asked themselves this Section 333 preparation question: should I hire a Section 333 attorney or Section 333 preparation company to prepare my petition? It’s tempting to answer that question with another question by saying, “the Section 333 preparation company is cheaper…why would I spend more money for a Section 333 […]

November 3, 2015 | Drone Law | Section 333 Exemption

Is Recreational Drone Registration Practical?

The announcement that the FAA will require recreational drone registration by the end of the year has generated new interest and even some refreshed hatred for drones in our nation. Seemingly, everyone from your neighbor to your grandmother is talking about drones and whether or not recreational drone registration is necessary. Everyone is torn on […]

October 28, 2015 | Drone Law

Operating A Drone Near An Airport: A Guide

In order to avoid ending up on the nightly news or worse, the FAA’s list of civil penalty recipients, it’s a good idea to have at least a cursory understanding of the regulations/rules in place for operating a drone near an airport. There are so many UAV operators out there right now that don’t know […]

October 22, 2015 | Drone Law | Section 333 Exemption

Do I Need A Pilot’s License to Get a Section 333 Exemption?

The first question most people seem to have about getting a Section 333 Exemption, is “do I need a pilot’s license to get a Section 333 Exemption?” This is an especially good question for people that want to use their drone for things like photography, real estate surveillance, agriculture, and filmmaking, because these folks typically […]

October 21, 2015 | Drone Law

FAA Drone Registration Rulemaking Process: Will They Make It In Time?

The FAA drone registration rulemaking process may be more involved than Anthony Foxx and Michael Huerta are letting on. On October 19, in a joint news conference, the two aviation “bigwigs” announced their proposal to develop a drone/UAV registration system. This, of course, is the government’s response to ever-happening incidents between drones and other aircraft […]

October 8, 2015 | Drone Law | Section 333 Exemption

Avoiding Civil Penalties for UAV Operations: Don’t Be the Next SkyPan International

As you may or may not know, the Federal Aviation Administration recently announced that it is expecting to fine SkyPan International, a Chicago-based drone company, a whopping $1.9 million for “endangering the safety of [American] airspace.” The announcement of this incredible enforcement action seems to be the FAA’s warning to the public that unauthorized UAV […]

August 19, 2015 | Drone Law | Section 333 Exemption

UAV Operations and the FAA’s New Enforcement Guidelines: We Can Do This The Easy Way or the Hard Way

UAVs are quickly becoming more regulated than the world’s oldest profession. Perhaps more regulation is necessary, however, as every time you turn on the news there is another DJI Phantom flying into the flightpath of a Boeing 737. On August 4, 2015, in an effort to prevent such violations by drone operators in the National […]

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