Great Interview with former FAA employee

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Jim Bowers (Deemunseed) just posted a great video interview with a former FAA employee and owner of several UAV related companies. Very good information! It was interesting to hear her confirm what we've been saying all along.

Note: I feel she made one mistake about National Parks. It's not illegal to fly over them, only operate a UAV from their land.

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This is printed on the NAV Canada Toronto VFR Navigation Charts below the Legend for "Airspace Information."

"All National Provincial and Municipal Parks are closed to aircraft unless otherwise specified in the A. I. P. Canada and/or the supplements or by prior permission of the appropriate park authorities."

I'm sure this will be tested in court sooner or later as many new owners go to a muni park soccer field to do their first maiden flight.

So it is similar in Canada if the issue was to be pushed by Police here.
 
Would have been a great interview if she worked with the FAA currently. And the question he didn't ask is the one I really want the answer to: Do civil law enforcement agencies (police, sherriff, etc) have the legal authority to cite drone operators based on Federal regulations, such is the case now in Los Angeles and soon in the community of Manhattan Beach, CA.
 
cool interview... thanks for posting @tcope !
 
Jim - "Don't forget to kiss the wife for me"
Christina - "Oh yuck!"

:D Bwhahahahahaha
Screen Shot 2016-01-26 at 11.18.13 AM☀️.png


National parks eh... how about that guy who was flying over a river and law enforcement flew a full scale helicopter directly over it at low altitude (you know, doing exactly what they were trying to stop the UAV operator from doing in a several thousand pound machine), trying to use the rotor wash to make the quad fall from the sky. How was that authorized?
 
how about that guy who was flying over a river and law enforcement flew a full scale helicopter directly over it at low altitude (you know, doing exactly what they were trying to stop the UAV operator from doing in a several thousand pound machine), trying to use the rotor wash to make the quad fall from the sky. How was that authorized?

From a regulatory standpoint, there are three types of aircraft operations. Civil (private), commercial, and public. Public aircraft are those operated by government entities. The FAA doesn't regulate their operations.

S
 
From a regulatory standpoint, there are three types of aircraft operations. Civil (private), commercial, and public. Public aircraft are those operated by government entities. The FAA doesn't regulate their operations.

S
I am not sure where you're going with that but as I recall the guy was fined and or arrested or both... sure wish I could find it again. It is from last year at least.
 
I was pointing out that the FAA doesn't regulate police helicopter operations.


Sent from my iPhone using PhantomPilots mobile app
 
I was pointing out that the FAA doesn't regulate police helicopter operations.


Sent from my iPhone using PhantomPilots mobile app
They have N registration numbers so I'd say they are regulated. Also, the FAA would still be responsible for the airspace that they occupy.
 
They have N registration numbers so I'd say they are regulated. Also, the FAA would still be responsible for the airspace that they occupy.

The N number is issued when the aircraft is manufactured. (In fact, government agencies can purchase non-certified military aircraft but they'll still obtain an N-number for obvious reasons.)

I worked wildland fire operations in Alaska for many years which involves an incredible array of fixed wing and helicopters. The agency I worked for mandated that the aircraft maintenance duplicated the appropriate FARs for commercial aircraft, and by policy the pilots had to hold a commercial certificate for the type they flew. Flight operations were only governed by the operating agency, not by the FAA.

Sure, the FAA regulates the airspace, but they don't regulate flight by government–or public–aircraft. That's how a police helicopter is able to operate within a TFR such as the coming Super Bowl. The agency–or military–choses to follow the FAA's regulations unless the mission dictates they deviate. But the FAA does not have regulatory authority for the flight operations of public aircraft.

S
 
No ... the aircraft gets an N number when the owner registers the aircraft with the FAA.
It has nothing to do with manufacturing.
Aircraft Registry – Register an Aircraft

I'm not going to turn this thread into an argument. Someone asked a question and I attempted to answer it.

When a certified aircraft comes off the assembly line, they are registered, the tail number is applied and it's test flown. And then it's put on the market. Nobody buys a brand-new made-in-America certified bird that doesn't have an N number. Sure, if you buy a certified aircraft in Canada, you'll have to get a U.S. N number.

Now, let's get this thread back on line. The interview was interesting. Bowers is a lech.

S
 
I am not sure where you're going with that but as I recall the guy was fined and or arrested or both... sure wish I could find it again. It is from last year at least.
This one ?
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Yes sir, thank you. Crazy times we live in.
 
Re above - yes - that was a video I watched last August before I even bought my Phantom. It was especially interesting to me because I grew up very close to Great Falls - I used to ride my bike there as a kid. The park is actually within the 15 mile radius surrounding Washington DC, so clearly there was no flying, but of course, the rules for UAVs may not have been clear back in the early summer of 2014 when the flight was made. The infamous Phantom crashing on the lawn of the White House was the following winter.
 
So does this also mean that rc planes have to be registered now too????
From the FAA registration website:
UAS Registration Q&A
Q19. I would like to fly my Radio/Remote Controlled (RC) aircraft outdoors, do I have to register it?
A. Yes, RC aircraft are unmanned aircraft and must be registered online if they weigh more than 0.55 lbs. and less than 55 pounds.
BUT
Q36. If I own multiple drones, do I have to register them all?
A. No. You may register once and apply the same registration number to all your UAS.

But ... your profile shows you as Canadian, so ...
Who must register a UAS?
The owner must be:
  • 13 years of age or older. (If the owner is less than 13 years of age, a person 13 years of age or older must register the small unmanned aircraft.)
  • A U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident.


 
Re above - yes - that was a video I watched last August before I even bought my Phantom. It was especially interesting to me because I grew up very close to Great Falls - I used to ride my bike there as a kid. The park is actually within the 15 mile radius surrounding Washington DC, so clearly there was no flying, but of course, the rules for UAVs may not have been clear back in the early summer of 2014 when the flight was made. The infamous Phantom crashing on the lawn of the White House was the following winter.
No matter how you slice it the helicopter & the cops at the end where going about the whole thing wrong . Those are the type of cops we all need to worry about .
 

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