Two men charged with flying drones near an airport and hospital heliports in Los Angeles could be looking at fines and jail time. City Attorney Mike Feuer announced on January 20th that his office has filed two criminal cases against drone operators, the first under the City’s new ordinance restricting drone operation.
Category Archives: Regulatory Matters
Who Owns/Controls the Airspace Below 500 feet AGL?
Before airplanes and drones existed, people owned everything above and below their land—according to the law, their rights extended “to the heavens and down to hell.” But modern aviation changed this definition in a big way. In the early 20th century Congress declared the air a public highway, which limited land rights so that people were not trespassing every time they flew. That public highway has generally been considered 500 feet and above.
California Prepares New Drone Laws
Two California lawmakers have introduced two separate bills this week that would further regulate drones in America’s most populous state. If passed, one of the new state laws would require “tiny physical or electronic license plates” and inexpensive insurance, among other requirements. A second bill would compel drone pilots who are involved in incidents that damage property or injure people to leave their contact information—similar to what drivers must do following auto accidents. Continue reading
White Paper for the Canadian Federal Government
Preparing for Autonomous Vehicles in Canada. Recommendations for enabling the introduction of autonomous vehicles in Canada have been put forward to the federal government by the Canadian Automated Vehicles Center of Excellence (CAVCOE).
DHS Privacy Suggestions on Agency Drone Programs
As technology continues to blur the lines between privacy and security, the Homeland Security Department has several suggestions to help agencies consider civil rights and liberties issues when setting up their respective unmanned aircraft system programs. Continue reading
6 Techies Held for flying UAV over Indian Temple
At least six IT professionals and two students who allegedly took aerial visuals of the Tiruvannamalai hill using an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) were arrested by the police on Sunday. The UAV was seized by the Tiruvannamalai Taluk police who released the accused on bail. Continue reading
FAA: 181,000 Drones Registered in Two Weeks
The Federal Aviation Administration says 181,000 drones were registered in its new system in the two weeks since it launched. FAA administrator Michael Huerta said the number is a strong one considering the program started Dec. 21. Under its rules, all craft of a certain size must be registered to fly outdoors by Feb. 19 or face civil or criminal penalties. Continue reading FAA Releases B4UFLY Smartphone App
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator Michael Huerta has announced the public release of the B4UFLY mobile application following an initial beta testing period.