FAA proposal: Fly at night and over people; OK without waiver

[Drestin Black]

First thought: wow.
Read article quickly, next thought: are there actually any useful drones under .55 pounds?

New FAA proposal would let drones fly over people and at night without a waiver — TechCrunch

The draft document can be viewed:
2120-AK85 NPRM Operations of Small UAS Over People

This would mean anyone could fly a Mavic with the DJI style propellor guard (cage) over people and at night without a waiver.

 

[BigAl07]

Seems very realistic.

 

[Drestin Black]

Seems very realistic.

I’m sorry, Did I say something wrong?

 

[Philsmith76]

This would mean anyone could fly a Mavic with the DJI style propellor guard (cage) over people and at night without a waiver.

Well not quite. The Mavic Pro 1.62lbs Mavic Air 1lbs.

They are trying to keep .55lbs and under unregulated and without rules.

 

[BigAl07]

I’m sorry, Did I say something wrong?

No not at all. I had expected their new requirements to be completely UN-realistic but if these go through they are realistic IMHO.

 

[Drestin Black]

Well not quite. The Mavic Pro 1.62lbs Mavic Air 1lbs.

They are trying to keep .55lbs and under unregulated and without rules.

Aircraft over .55lbs can fly over people if they have fully enclosed prop guards.

 

[MapMaker53]

"Drones over .55 pounds would be similarly allowed to operate over people if they meet a set of requirements to prevent serious injury, including the absence of “exposed rotating parts that could lacerate human skin.”

 

[Drestin Black]

The actual fact is, almost no one has been hurt by a drone crashing out of the sky (I didn’t say crashing INTO). And the biggest concern are the spinning props, not the weight. Flying at night has always been relatively safe.

These are quite reasonable proposals and take away concern over the two most widely ignored and broken rules out there.

I would hope that DJI introduces enclosed prop guards for their other drones, as well as update the Go software to provide support for their attachment as they do for the Mavic.

 

[Philsmith76]

My bad. I took the original post as meaning a Mavic is less than .55....moving on

So yes this is a interesting proposed rule change.

Guess I got my night waiver too soon.

 

[Ansia]

are there actually any useful drones under .55 pounds?

It's a Toy drone, but look at the Tello. It can go as high as 98 ft in the air and some people have taken it as far as 1,900 ft. It has a little 5mp camera, but they take fairly decent pictures.

Here is one that I took on Saturday at 98 ft.

And here is from my P4P in the same position and at the same height (all in auto)

 

[THECaptainKirk]

Wow I’m surprised at how little difference there is between the two!

 

[THECaptainKirk]

How in the world did someone manage get a Trello up to 1,900 ft?

 

[sar104]

Wow I’m surprised at how little difference there is between the two!

Perhaps you should look more carefully:

 

[Ansia]

How in the world did someone manage get a Trello up to 1,900 ft?

Not up. Flew 1,900 in distance. Here is the link to the thread and video.

Tello 650 meters range

 

[Ansia]

Perhaps you should look more carefully:

View attachment 107392

View attachment 107393

You are comparing a Power Wheel to a Sports Car. I know there is a difference, but for what it is, it does a good job.

 

[sar104]

You are comparing a Power Wheel to a Sports Car. I know there is a difference, but for what it is, it does a good job.

Of course. But I was replying to a comment saying how little difference there was between the two.

 

[THECaptainKirk]

I can always count on you, Sar104 to correct my opinion, my eyesight, many a comment made by me and many others...there you are to set us straight. What would we do without you?

Yes, I see the difference with it enlarged and I saw a difference without your polite handing over your bifocals. I still remain amazed at how little of a difference there is between the two, considering there is $1,000 + in price between the two. I find it amazing that a $99 “toy” produces images of that quality. Is it a night and day difference? IMO, no. That’s my opinion. Would I use a Trello to perform the tasks I give my P4A? Absolutely not. But it’s inarguably impressive considering the cost and size of the Trello.

 

[Drestin Black]

You are both expressing opinions and I respect both.

But, I’ll chime in. The Trello photo is horrible. By my guess, Trello is used by folks who wanna fly and see what it looks like from up there over a wireless link. The other is a quality photo that could be used to show off things or in a business way. If I ever tried to use that Trello photo my clients or my IG/FB followers would wonder if I’d lost my mind. It looks like a 90s cell phone pic that was over sharpened. Hence the comparison made.

Of that photo is good enough for you, cool. But the rest of us can’t not notice what our eyes plainly tell us, it looks like what a toy would produce. The only thing I find amazing is that it can fly and take a photo at the same time workout falling out of the sky.

 

[sar104]

I can always count on you, Sar104 to correct my opinion, my eyesight, many a comment made by me and many others...there you are to set us straight. What would we do without you?

Yes, I see the difference with it enlarged and I saw a difference without your polite handing over your bifocals. I still remain amazed at how little of a difference there is between the two, considering there is $1,000 + in price between the two. I find it amazing that a $99 “toy” produces images of that quality. Is it a night and day difference? IMO, no. That’s my opinion. Would I use a Trello to perform the tasks I give my P4A? Absolutely not. But it’s inarguably impressive considering the cost and size of the Trello.

I completely agree that the Tello is very impressive for what it is, but it just doesn't compare even to the standard JPG output from the P4P's 1-inch sensor.

 

[Ansia]

You are both expressing opinions and I respect both.

But, I’ll chime in. The Trello photo is horrible. By my guess, Trello is used by folks who wanna fly and see what it looks like from up there over a wireless link. The other is a quality photo that could be used to show off things or in a business way. If I ever tried to use that Trello photo my clients or my IG/FB followers would wonder if I’d lost my mind. It looks like a 90s cell phone pic that was over sharpened. Hence the comparison made.

Of that photo is good enough for you, cool. But the rest of us can’t not notice what our eyes plainly tell us, it looks like what a toy would produce. The only thing I find amazing is that it can fly and take a photo at the same time workout falling out of the sky.

I purchased the Tello to practice ATTI flying. It has helped me to improve my skills, which can be used on more expensive drones.