US court rules commercial drone operations are legal
 

Story: Commercial Drones Are Completely Legal, a Federal Judge Ruled | Motherboard (includes text of judgement)

The FAA have been claiming the right to regulate - which has meant 'ban' - commercial drone/UAV operations in US airspace.

The judge in this case completely handed the FAA their arses - he dismissed the case with prejudice. And they deserved it; I've seldom seen a bigger dog's breakfast of ill-considered posturing than the FAA dealing with drones. It's very clear that the FARs only apply to manned aircraft.

Not so fast..
 

Naturally enough, the FAA is appealing FAA to appeal Trappy ruling | sUAS News

Appealing to the full NTSB board. Unfortunately for the FAA, the statutes or regulations the FAA would like don't exist, so the board will reach the same conclusion.

All fun and games for the lawyers until some bozo flies one into an airplane. Then the lawyers will have even more fun and games.

By the FAA's definition even a frisbee falls under their control.

Exactly Eboy. They're just going through the motions. A dismissal with prejudice is a powerful signal. When you actually look at what they're claiming, when you read the detail of the FAA statements and the FARs, it's train wreck. Really quite dismayed; if they're screwing this up so badly, what else are they screwing up that's more immediately relevant to our industry?

Just have a read of the defence brief; it's fascinating. I have no idea what the FAA thought they were doing. It absolutely takes the FAA to pieces, and the judge agreed:

http://www.kramerlevin.com/files/upl...A-v-Pirker.pdf

Rick777, there has already been at least one such incident:

Untitled Page

Be it noted this was an 'amateur' flying a model plane, not a professional operating a commercial drone.

So What's new??
The regulatory bodies have always sat in their cages, watching the world evolve around them....When something develops to the point where it affects their little empire's security, they react
For around ten years, the model helicopter fraternity have been flying and developing UAV's..but still the regulators are caught with their pants around their ankles.
Hang-gliders....several years elapsed before legislation caught up with a total free-for-all
Flexwing Microlights....ditto
Paragliders.....ditto
Powered Parachutes....ditto
Wait for the dead hand of authority try to stifle the latest innovation they don't understand.