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UAV/Drone Info
DRONE use – Several Movie filming companies have been granted use under controlled situations on movie sets. One operator/realtor in Tucson was just granted an FAA waiver here in Jan 2015. You may think this is great, however, look at the list of requirements. Its an extensive 26 page report, clearly addressing specific issues. This is the list of requirements, extracted from the report:
1. 300 ft AGL (Actual Ground Level) or less
2. Visual Line of site (VLOS) at all times.
3. Must have a PIC (Pilot In Command) and a VO (Visual Observer). 2 persons required.
4. PIC must have at minimum – Private Pilots Certificate
5. PIC must have 25 hours time as a UAS rotorcraft pilot
6. UAV may not operate within 5 miles of an airport
7. Must request NOTAM not more than 72 hours in advance and not less than 48 hours prior to operation
8. Aircraft must have N Number markings
9. Documents required under 14 CFR 91.9 and 91.203 must be available at ground station
10. UAS cannot be operated from any moving device or vehicle (boats?)
11. The UA may not be operated over congested or densely populated areas.
12. Flight operations must be conducted at least 500 feet from all nonparticipating persons, vessels, vehicles, and structures unless (read list yourself, item 31, page 25)
At this point in time, as a professional aerial photography service business operating in New Mexico for the past 35 years, I choose to adhere to FAA guidelines. The 5 mile radius from any airport cuts out a lot of area to fly in the Albuquerque area, which is almost 2/3. Item 11 removes the rest of the area to fly a DRONE stating it cannot operate over congested or densely populated areas which is exactly what a residential area is.
www.faa.gov/uas Lots of people apparently feel they don’t have to. There is lots of mis-information out there about DRONE use. BEWARE!! I do not offer UAV/drone aerial photography yet. There are multiple reason for this decision which include current FAA regulations, my clients safety, my liability, my clients liability and the safety of others. Below are more details regarding the issues. Here are important links to review, supporting my current decision.
Nov 2014 NTSB Ruling http://www.ntsb.gov/legal/pirker/5730.pdf
http://www.faa.gov/news/updates/?newsId=78725
Real Estate Magazine Article – CAUTION on Drone usage
The best advantage of an aerial photo from an airplane is the vantage point of the camera. For commercial real estate, the camera needs to be at least 1000′ above ground to show relationships of a property with the surrounding. With a drone you can mostly see tree tops and no relationship of the surrounding. Drones/UAV, When approved for commercial use, will be useful in showing an interesting perspective of a single building. But, issues must be resolved…
First – The FAA who has jurisdiction of all US airspace and the aircraft (manned or unmanned) that operate in the airspace, has not issued regulations governing UAS (Unmanned Aerial systems)/UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle). This includes flying a drone (quad copter, hex copter, octa copter or RC (radio-controlled) plane, etc) with an attached camera, using it to do aerial photography to sell or to be used for the promotion of a business in any way, which is the main issue of concern. It may seem harmless, but there are many implications to address. When new technology comes along, its important to embrace it and to act responsibly. I clearly believe this is one of those situations.
In a recent court ruling on the Pirker Case, ruling in favor of Pirker, seems to lead others to believe it is legal now and OK to use drones for producing aerial photography, however, the FAA has immediately appealed the decision. Drone/UAV is a rapidly emerging technology and it continues to get better. It is forecast that there will be 7500+ people wanting to fly them by 2015. This adds stress to the lower controlled airspace below 400 feet. There are many manufactures producing these UAV/UAS/drone devices for purchase and with no regulations to promote the safe operation of the drones, it remains hazardous to the public. These drones range in price from 400.00 up to 10,000.00. These drones can hover and or reach speeds up to 80+ knots. Some are GPS equipped. When flying one, here are some of the elements one has to learn, understand and become proficient at in order to try and fly safely: Altitude hold, Ascent and decent, Yaw and throttle, Yaw trim, roll and pitch, pitch trim, camera zoom controls, camera tilt control, camera shutter, camera monitor to see what the camera sees to set up a photo, all while keeping an eye on where you are at, wind conditions, surrounding environments, people and battery life left to land back where you started. Not to mention any other unexpected distractions or interference from other radio frequencies.
Issues of safety, liability, reliability, license requirements and privacy, must be worked out to help insure safe operations, especially when used around crowds of people or around buildings. A falling object of 4 pounds or 20 pounds with moving blades, hitting something or someone, will cause damage or create distractions that can result in significant problems. There is currently a chartered committee established in 2011, by the FAA, a UAS Aviation Rulemaking Committee, tasked to develop inputs and recommendations on appropriate operational procedures, regulatory standards and policies before allowing routine UAS access to the nation’s airspace. They have been tasked to do so by Congress, to have a program ready by July 2015. This is a complex issue. RC airplanes have an altitude limit of 400′ above ground and are to be flown in remote areas. Drones/UAV have the same limit since they are in the RC category. At 400′ they get into areas where they can go out of sight, get in to helicopter airspace, where having a drone hit a tail rotor would be catastrophic. Recently there are reports of drones being used above 400′. Multiple agencies are providing input into the development of the needed regulations for this activity, just as there are numerous rules, regulations and licenses required for the safe operation of airplanes, helicopters and hot air balloons.
The reality is, that there are no regulations. Unfortunately most drone operators operating out there now do not have an aviation background and are taking risks with other people and property to make a profit. As a professional aerial photographer, we believe this creates an unsafe environment. We prescibe to a “better safe than sorry” mentality until the following issues are resolved thru regulation:
1. Loss of data link – radio signal/signal interference
2. Aircraft certification – for safety standards
3. Privacy issues of photos being taken
4. Airspace utilization
5. Pilot/Operator qualifications
6. Proper integration within the airspace used by manned operators (airplanes/helicopters/hot air balloons)
7. Liability insurance availability
8. Safety, maintenance records
I personally see this drone operation as a potential additional compliment to the aerial photography services I have been providing for 35 years. There are specific situations where it could enhance a photographic program for a client, creating a unique view. I do not see it as a replacement to what I provide now. In one hour, I can photograph 10 sites from an airplane in the local area, in the time it would take to drive to a site and set up a drone for one location and photograph it from 8 angles. In most aerial photography assignments and specifications, one needs to be at least 1000′ feet above the ground to be able to show the relationship of a property to the surrounding area or to show an entire construction site for examples.
Safe integration of UAS involves gaining a better understanding of operational issues, such as training requirements, operational specifications and technology considerations.
I monitor information on this subject daily in several web discussions. I will keep this page updated as to when the process/service becomes legally available or for important ideas that relate to this subject.
I always appreciate feed back and other perspectives. Please feel free to send me an e-mail. My current active area of coverage is Albuquerque, Los Lunas, Belen, Rio Rancho, Santa Fe, Espanola, Taos, Las Vegas, Clovis, Farmington, Roswell, Alamogordo, Las Cruces, Santa Teresa, Carlsbad, Gallup and Grants.
Most recent Web Posts – top of links
http://www.papainternational.org/uas.asp
http://www.faa.gov/about/initiatives/uas
http://fstoppers.com/using-drones-faa-approval-photos-or-video-is-illegal
www.azcentral.com/news/politics/articles/20140114federal-ban-drones-photography.html
www.politico.com/story/2014/03/faa-small-drones-ban-104393.html