Comment by kenrikm | Hacker News Reader

Comment by kenrikm | Hacker News Reader

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FAA is looking at the wrong group, the current rules say don't fly over 400 feet with a model aircraft. If a pilot of a real plane is flying under 400ft outside of the landing or takeoff pattern in Class B airspace there's an issue with that pilot or the plane. Model planes and real planes just don't operate in the same airspace very often so it has not been an issue over the last 50+ years.

Now the big issue that's spooking the FAA is that if you go to YouTube and search for FPV you'l find people flying their FPV planes at 2000, 3000 or even 5000ft where they become a risk to full size aircraft - even if they are only 2 or 3lbs of foam I could see them causing some damage to a jet engine. (Alt: but so do birds)

The small subset of idiots who bust the 400ft rule is making the FAA try to ban all FPV or outside line of sight operation which is a terrible idea as there are a lot of practical applications for model aircraft under 400ft (surveying, agriculture, logistics, Search and rescue etc) The FAA should only have jurisdiction over 500ft and in class B airspace as it has been for the past 80 years. They need to get a framework in place for licensed commercial operation under 400ft rather then just trying to ban it outright - people will do it regardless it's better if they are certified and follow some safety rules rather then the under the table hope you don't get caught stuff that's going on now.

> If a pilot of a real plane is flying under 400ft outside of the landing or takeoff pattern in Class B airspace there's an issue with that pilot or the plane.

Well... not really. First, rotary wing aircraft don't have the same altitude and horizontal separation limits as fixed wing aircraft. And, second, in Class B specifically, most aircraft are relying on ATC to provide separation from conflicting traffic.

> The FAA should only have jurisdiction over 500ft and in class B airspace as it has been for the past 80 years. They need to get a framework in place for licensed commercial operation under 400ft rather then just trying to ban it outright

This doesn't make any sense. I suspect that you aren't aware of all the different types of airspace because you're essentially saying that drone operators should have free range to operate in the controlled airspace of smaller airports. Chicago's Midway Airport and the Bay Area's San Jose are just two examples of such "small airport" with scheduled commercial flights out of class C. Class C and D, which extends to the ground within a 4 mile radius of the airports, is absolutely within the jurisdiction of the FAA.

But even aside from that, there is plenty of VFR traffic in class G. You're essentially saying that aircraft carrying humans bear the entire responsibility for avoiding drones, as well as the (human) cost in the event of such a collision.

"You're essentially saying that aircraft carrying humans bear the entire responsibility for avoiding drones, as well as the (human) cost in the event of such a collision."

Nope that could not be further from the case, I was under the (wrong) impression that class B was five miles out from any normal airport thanks for correcting me on that. You should not be operating in controlled airspace unless you have contacted ATC at the airport, the FAAs rules state exactly that which is very reasonable.

See: https://www.mapbox.com/drone/no-fly/#5/40.044/-98.130

However claiming regulatory ownership of ALL airspace down to ground level when there is longstanding precedent that under 83ft belongs to the property owner and between 83ft and 500ft (not around airports) is unregulated is a bridge too far.

The FAA advises pilots not to fly under 500ft as it's not safe, 200ft may be dangerous for a full size aircraft but it's perfectly reasonable for a model aircraft (UAVs, MAVs, Drones, whatever you want to call them).

See: http://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/atpubs/aim/aim07...

a. General. Many structures exist that could significantly affect the safety of your flight when operating below 500 feet AGL, and particularly below 200 feet AGL. While 14 CFR Part 91.119 allows flight below 500 AGL when over sparsely populated areas or open water, such operations are very dangerous. At and below 200 feet AGL there are numerous power lines, antenna towers, etc., that are not marked and lighted as obstructions and; therefore, may not be seen in time to avoid a collision. Notices to Airmen (NOTAMs) are issued on those lighted structures experiencing temporary light outages. However, some time may pass before the FAA is notified of these outages, and the NOTAM issued, thus pilot vigilance is imperative.

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