By John Meehan, FAA Safety Outreach Branch As drone operators, are we screen-watching camera operators, or are we pilots? The FAA says we’re pilots, which means we have a responsibility to see and avoid other aircraft (and persons and property on the ground). Seeing and avoiding air traffic is our responsibility when operating drones. Studies … Read more
I was recently asked about a fixed-wing UAS, the FlightWave Edge 130. In taking a look at the UAS, I noticed the following statement on the FlightWave sight, “The Edge 130 VTOL tricopter is a consumer-priced, military-grade UAS designed for long-range, long-endurance missions.” – Source It was the words Long-Range that caught my eye, given … Read more
Here is the latest FAA guidance on Visual Line of Sight (VLOS) and Collision Avoidance for drone pilots flying under Part 107 or a COA. Let’s not forget the actual limited operating distances that are required. Seeing your drone means a lot more than just seeing a dot in the sky. Pay attention to the … Read more
Here are a number of very interesting studies that I’ve received from others regarding the ability of RPICs or low flying manned aircraft pilots ability to see and avoid a UAS. I also had a firefighting pilot send me an email and wanted me to share this message: “Steve, please understand and share that the … Read more
As I have written about previously, there are numerous myths, misinformation, and disconnects when it comes to Part 107, commercial drone operations, and related FAA responses. But the question that begs for an answer is why these disconnects exist. There are several reasons for the disparities. 1) Manned Aircraft Pilots (MAPs) are trained to think … Read more
In recent conversations with other drone experts, I’m stunned by the lack of awareness or understanding about drone pilots and the risk of collision with other aircraft because of poor assumptions. Drone pilots don’t own the airspace below 400 feet above ground level. You have no right of way ownership when you are legally flying. … Read more
The following information was distributed in August 2021 to FAA FAASTeam Drone Pros, like me, to help educate the public. You can view the entire presentation here.
Since I’m part of the FAA Drone Pro team I thought it would be a good idea to show you the slides that team members see. This is a little behind curtain stuff. I’m sure I’ll have to ask for forgiveness for sharing but I want you to hear it straight from the FAA and … Read more
The purpose of this article is to highlight the actual limits of flying small unmanned aerial vehicles (sUAVs), specifically multi-rotors, under the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Visual Line of Sight (VLOS) regulations. This time-consuming research began with a simple question: how far you can see and fly while still meeting the regulations under 14 CFR … Read more
Here is a question I get on a regular basis. Question: How far can we fly our drone at the incident scenes and how far beyond the line of sight can we go? Answer: You would think there would be a simple answer to this question. There actually is but the facts get clouded with … Read more