Hello.
I am a power pilot, glider pilot, certified flight instructor and relatively new Drone pilot. I live in the Orlando area and am completely disgusted at the decision by the Orlando City govt for passing the restrictions on drone flights in city parks. However, there is an old saying, "For every rule there was a fool". Laws such as this affect not only the drone community, they make their way into general aviation as well. Airports and gliderports all over the country have faced local legislation that have put some of them out of business completely. Organizations like the EAA and AOPA fight for the rights of GA pilots and have stopped and even reversed many laws and proposed regulations. I am not aware of any such regulations for drones, but would certainly volunteer to participate in a group establishing a city, state or national one.
Considering the "Every fool rule" mentioned above, it is easy to understand why the city might impose such a rule. There are a lot of fools who do really stupid things with their drones. Many even post themselves doing stupid things on Youtube. Some will fly immediately above people which, although as unlikely as it may seem, is really dangerous. I once had a remote control helicopter fly into my leg and the rotor sliced thought the skin like a hot knife through butter. And I was being careful. An out of control drone could maim or kill a person.
All that notwithstanding, local Orlando drone pilots should form a group, prepare a petition and get thousands of signatures to present to the city council with a recommended regulation that makes more sense. For example, the immediate downtown area could be off limits or "restricted", flights in city parks may be permissible on a more limited basis and only for people who present a part 107 or 336 license/membership. Fees should be abolished. If the city insists on fees, the group should be prepared to say, OK, only those parks within X miles of the downtown should require fees. Since most of the area in Orlando is currently under Class B airspace and the FAA has not yet approved the flight ceilings of 200 and 400 feet zones yet, it is difficult for us to find safe or interesting places to fly.
Remember, each and every city official is concerned about his/her reelection viability. 50 or a hundred people cannot make much pf a difference. But if 50 or 100 people ask 10 others to join the group and write letters and each one of them asks 10 more people to join in short time you could have a number that will make the mayor and others rethink capricious rules. Many small groups use this technique to move legislation, even at the national level.
Anyhow, I am thoroughly disappointed and pissed off. If anyone is interested in forming a group, reply here and if there is enough interest I will set up a location to meet or a web conference to share ideas.
Regards,
Tim
Safety First
