Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

I agree that drones over a certain weight are indeed aircraft, and as such, the FAA has regulatory authority.

The current weight the FAA picked seems a bit light - the FAA picked 250 grams. I think the principle is sound though.

 Frazzled wrote:
If we ban flamethrowers, then only bad guys (and WWII re-enactors) will have flamethrowers!

Actually I think flamethrowers are generally not regulated at all, although YMMV depending on jurisdiction. I only have a minute to check but I think they're only restricted in California.

 SickSix wrote:
Tell me where they even get their authority in the first place? Because it sure isn't in the Constitution.

Here is an article for you to not read.

I do think there are some pretty serious questions about their authority to regulate drones in general and this drone in specific, though. I'm not going to take it to the extreme of "the FAA has no right to regulate drones because my understanding of the constitution doesn't allow it", but that doesn't mean I have to shift 100% the other way either.

The current weight limit is 250 grams, which is ludicrous - the FAA has no business regulating a drone the barely over the weight of 2 sticks of butter flown in a backyard. In my opinion, the FAA really only should regulate drones which have enough weight to endanger aviation at large - i.e, weights equivalent to bird strikes. Lets say a pound and a half.

At that point, the best way to regulate it is, in my opinion, by requiring all GPS based flight controllers used or imported into the US to have a geofencing database restricting flight within a few miles of the airport. The most popular off the shelf consumer drones all already do this. It's a wholly reasonable product safety measure, much as we require milk to be pasteurized when sold commercially.

Their current regulations are awful, but they have been improving them, so there is no reason to think they are going to stay awful - they've only had 2 waves of published rules, and the second ones are much better.