Contacted by FAA !

[DroneGuy2016]

I will know in the morning. Going to be a long night of waiting and worrying. I hope it's just an educational/information letter. And not something bad! I'll let everyone know as soon as I get it.


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[htownphantom]

**** man good luck,hope you can sleep tonight!

 

[BigAl07]

DG I don't think you have a thing to worry about. Keep in mind that the FAA is very adamant that they INFORM first and foremost. Unless you really screw up (as in have an incident of some kind) they will just contact and send you information (possibly information over load).

I'd guess the DOT letter is just more of the same.

Keep us posted.

 

[iglenn]

Good luck. I'm reading this thread as a newbie and living in Dubai where it's difficult to fly anyway just due to the bloody weather. Wow...this story is big brother on the move....and who said all those years ago that if we don't do anything wrong it's ok to put cctv everywhere. You guys in the states have it worse than I though possible....tracked down through ip and Facebook postings. Best advice and one I may very well so take myself is go off grid. Turn off the net, delete and discard FB, work locally and forget dreams of global recognition. Or use aliases.


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[jryser]

Discarding FB was the best thing I've done.


Sent from my PT beating heart

 

[DroneGuy2016]

I just got the certified letter from the post office and it's the exact same letter I received in the mail yesterday. I'm confused why they sent the same letter, one certified mail and the other regular mail. Like I said before, the letter does not mention any violations at all. I will post the letter on here later. I'm sure there are people at the FAA reading this and that is fine. I bet they love that I'm posting all of this as it causes lots of awareness. I'm all for flying safely and by the rules. I just did not realize a little video in the mountains would cause so much attention.


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[flyingadjuster]

Yesterday I received a message on Facebook from someone claiming to be from the FAA. Looking at his profile it seems legit and he actually wants me to call him at his office. He says my videos concern him and there is an allegation of me flying commercially which I have not done. He wants my name and my FAA registration number and to discuss this. I don't mind discussing this with him but I do not feel comfortable just giving him my information especially when I have not done anything wrong. I have no idea what could be concerning in my videos either. Should I call the guy or does this sound like something I should avoid? It seems like a strange way for the FAA to conduct business in my opinion. But I guess he doesn't know who I am so this is the only way they can contact me.

 

[flyingadjuster]

Contact from the FAA should not be taken lightly. If by phone, check the phone number for the FSDO, flight standards district office. Is it the number given? The catch all regulation is "Careless and Wreckless Operation of an Aircraft. Like it or knot, you fly by the same rules as manned aircraft. Fines can be 5 figures. Review the regs, new Part 107, as ell as AMA flight rules for their members. 30 years of fixed wing A/C, 1700 hours, CFI, accident investigator, and P3S pilot. Have seen a lot. Good luck and be safe.

 

[Ellen Sue]

Yesterday I received a message on Facebook from someone claiming to be from the FAA. Looking at his profile it seems legit and he actually wants me to call him at his office. He says my videos concern him and there is an allegation of me flying commercially which I have not done. He wants my name and my FAA registration number and to discuss this. I don't mind discussing this with him but I do not feel comfortable just giving him my information especially when I have not done anything wrong. I have no idea what could be concerning in my videos either. Should I call the guy or does this sound like something I should avoid? It seems like a strange way for the FAA to conduct business in my opinion. But I guess he doesn't know who I am so this is the only way they can contact me.

This doesn't seem right to me! Frankly, I would be scared.

 

[DroneGuy2016]

I was flying 100% safe. That was not the issue. The issue was that I was on the Blue Ridge Parkway in the mountains of North Carolina and this apparently is one great big national Park system. I simply was not aware that I was in a national park at the time. I find it hard to believe that the entire Parkway is part of the national Park but whatever. Whoever saw my Videos could not tell exactly where I was so who is to say that for sure I was flying in a prohibited area? I can appreciate what the FAA is going to keep everyone safe but at the same time you have a bunch of idiots out there flying over people, flying through big cities downtown, doing stupid tricks and maneuvers and putting people in harms way and here I am just trying to grab a few shots of the mountains.


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[skitchen8]

I was flying 100% safe. That was not the issue. The issue was that I was on the Blue Ridge Parkway in the mountains of North Carolina and this apparently is one great big national Park system. I simply was not aware that I was in a national park at the time. I find it hard to believe that the entire Parkway is part of the national Park but whatever. Whoever saw my Videos could not tell exactly where I was so who is to say that for sure I was flying in a prohibited area? I can appreciate what the FAA is going to keep everyone safe but at the same time you have a bunch of idiots out there flying over people, flying through big cities downtown, doing stupid tricks and maneuvers and putting people in harms way and here I am just trying to grab a few shots of the mountains.


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"I wasn't aware I was somewhere I'm not supposed to be" isn't really a valid excuse. It is your responsibility to know whether you're operating legally or not, and it isn't as if national parks are some top secret thing. Presumably you have an Internet connection if you're posting here which means you can Google it. Three pages into the thread and you just keep saying you find it hard to believe it's a national park, it took me about a half second to type "Blue Ridge parkway national park" into Google, the first result was the National Park Service's website, and one click on that page (on the word "map") showed me a map that included the borders of the national park.

If you can't figure out whether it's a national park and where the borders of the park are it's because you're not trying, not because it's impossible to figure out. Personally I hope the FAA sees your willful ignorance and acts upon it because it's clear that them trying to educate you has done nothing but cause you to plug your ears and say you can't hear them.

 

[cdorseyfargo]

Like anything in life. It's how you deal with issues with people. How you respond, tone of your voice or your message. Lot of good people in the FAA that are juggling an issue that is ever changing.

I have gone down to the FSDO and also had some great talks with them about their concerns. I totally agree that this is about education for all sides.

As a licensed commercial pilot, I read on here way too much "I didn't know" or "I thought I was able to do that". Remember, as a PIC, it falls on you. If the FAA reaches out, talk to them like a human being...because they are. If you did nothing wrong or even if you did. Hear them out,

 

[Skywalker]

I just spoke with the FAA. There were two or three guys on the phone and they were all pretty cool about it actually. It turns out I posted some videos flying near the Blue Ridge Parkway which is off-limits and I was not aware of that. Somebody got mad and reported me because I was not playing by the rules but I honestly did not even know the entire blue ridge parkway was off-limits.


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Isn't it YOUR responsibility to know any restrictions where you are flying?

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[Kirby Johnson]

Possibly, but I would still be very cautious. If valid, they are on a "fishing" expedition. The poster mentioned he used a "business" name... that is probably what the FAA picked up on. If, as mentioned, there were a complaint, how would the FAA know who, when, and where the offender was?? It still sounds fishy to me. Thanks for your reply

A X C T L Y Bob. I spent my life designing avionics for fighters and then for the private market. If not for the FAA a lot more aircraft would fall out of the sky, but they are like any other huge all powerful bureaucracy, it is many times an us vs them attitude.

 

[Wang J Coon]

I just spoke with the FAA. There were two or three guys on the phone and they were all pretty cool about it actually. It turns out I posted some videos flying near the Blue Ridge Parkway which is off-limits and I was not aware of that. Somebody got mad and reported me because I was not playing by the rules but I honestly did not even know the entire blue ridge parkway was off-limits.


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So the FAA lied about the commercial use of your quad.

 

[DroneGuy2016]

I think people are missing my point. I completely understand we are not allowed to fly in national parks. What I did not realize was where I was currently flying that I was actually in a national park. If I had known that I would have never flown. We are talking about open land as far as the eye can see and I just did not realize I was with within a national Park. It's not like I was at Mount Rushmore where it's obvious. I have gone to small parks before and there are signs that clearly said I know drones and of course I honor that. I just thought I was out in the middle of nowhere and it was safe to fly and I apologize for not understanding everything correctly.

Also, correct me if I'm wrong but even the FAA said I am allowed to fly in the air space in the national Park. I am just not allowed to take off for land within the park. So with that being said I don't know whose rules I actually violated but regardless this has been an educational lesson for me and for everyone reading this and the mistake will definitely not happen again.


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[erkme73]

I blocked my number when I called them and I never gave them my name. They only know of the YouTube page and Facebook page name which is nothing more than I made up business name. I did not give them an address either so like I said they have no clue who I am.


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I don't mean to feed paranoia, and I haven't read through all three pages to see if anyone else already reported this, but... Just so you know - blocking your caller ID is not what you think it is. The information is still sent from your exchange to the exchange of the person being called. Their exchange honors the 'do not display' flag on your incoming call. Certain numbers are exempt from honoring that block. All toll-free numbers will still show the caller's ID, as do emergency numbers. Further, there are call forwarding services that will strip the flag before the call is routed to you - thereby allowing you to see the ID of all incoming calls, whether they're blocked or not. I would suspect .gov is immune from those pesky serf limits as well. After all, they have the NSA

 

[flyingadjuster]

If you go it alone with the FAA, which may not be a bad idea, go with information that shows them you have done some remedial education to get up to speed on the rules. Possibly a map such as a VFR sectional, copy of regs, or on-line training. FAAsafety.org may be a place to start. Register with them and do an on-line course. This is not legal advice so see an attorney if in question. FAA's job boils down to promoting safe aviation. However there are limits to how understanding they may be. If they don't pile on, the National Parks Service also has a horse in this race. Good luck

 

[George Fee]

Has anyone got a solution for me to use my Samsung 10.1 note with the Ph2 + controller?

 

[VAIL8150]

Yesterday I received a message on Facebook from someone claiming to be from the FAA. Looking at his profile it seems legit and he actually wants me to call him at his office. He says my videos concern him and there is an allegation of me flying commercially which I have not done. He wants my name and my FAA registration number and to discuss this. I don't mind discussing this with him but I do not feel comfortable just giving him my information especially when I have not done anything wrong. I have no idea what could be concerning in my videos either. Should I call the guy or does this sound like something I should avoid? It seems like a strange way for the FAA to conduct business in my opinion. But I guess he doesn't know who I am so this is the only way they can contact me.

I posted this recently and given what is happening to our sport right now I think its a good idea to consider complying with the following directives from the FAA:

Thought I would post this for all to review: Keep our sport safe and with minimal regulations.

Aeronautical Knowledge Test

One very important step you have to take is to obtain your remote pilot certificate. Under the new rule—also known as Part 107—the person actually flying a drone must have a remote pilot certificate with a small UAS rating, or be directly supervised by someone with such a certificate.

To qualify for the certificate, you must either pass an initial aeronautical knowledge test at an FAA-approved knowledge testing center or have an existing non-student Part 61 pilot certificate. If you are qualifying under the latter provision, you must have completed a flight review in the previous 24 months and must take an FAA UAS online training course. The Transportation Security Administration will conduct a security background check of all remote pilot applications prior to issuance of a certificate.

The FAA has posted extensive materials, including a test guide and sample questions, to help you prepare for the knowledge test. You can review the materials by clicking on the “Knowledge Test Prep Part 107” button at www.faa.gov/uas.

You also can watch a short video about the knowledge test here: https://youtu.be/v-d1RuTFvbs.