Drone Law (or lack thereof)

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I saw this posted on another thread and thought it deserved a thread of it's own! I'm a professional photographer and was uncertain whether or not I could use my P2 for aerial photography work. This link (below) pretty much say's that I can (at this time). I plan to print this out and carry it with me when I'm flying. If the FAA or a LEO shows up, I'm going to hand it to then to read!

http://dronelawjournal.com/
 
Been to that site before and it seems to be the most reliable info out there - primarily because it cites specific references that can be verified (and is the work of an attorney). It should matter to whoever might accost you but I wonder if they'll bother to read it and, if they do, if they'll care. What you may to hear is "I don't care, anybody can post anything they want on the internet, it doesn't make it so". You may be better served to have copies of the documents it references (including header info).

I ride motorcycles. For safety, federal law allows motorcycles to have modulated headlights if they meet the required specifications (e..g., they alternate between 17% and 100% intensity, are not used at night, alternate at 240 cycles/second, etc.). The law was carefully written to pre-empt any state or local laws. However, many LEOs see them as "flashing lights" which are not allowed by most jurisdictions except on emergency vehicles. The result is a lot of citations being written for having modulated headlights that were specifically legalized. It was so bad that the manufacturers of these devices often included copies of the law and certificates of compliance which they obtained fromn the US Department of Transportation with their products - for users to carry with them. And still some who have these perfectly legal lights get citations and wind up having to go to court (where, as far as I've heard, the citations are dismissed).

The parallel should be obvious. It shouldn't be this way, but the reality is that sometimes you can be 100% in the right, but still have to deal with the hassle of proving that you are.
 
Good info Visioneer. I plan to take a aerial photograph of a friends jewelry store tomorrow. It's in the downtown area of our town. Another friend knows several cops in town and she asked them if there would be any issues with doing this. They said no problem as long as no one files a complaint.
 
DesertFlyer53 said:
I plan to take a aerial photograph of a friends jewelry store tomorrow.

Funny story: a while ago I had to talk a potential client out of some certain shots she wanted to use in advertising for her pawn shop, not only because they were horrible angles to use, but because they also made it very clear how easy it would be to break in through the roof access with nothing more than a bolt cutter. I also suggested she beef up her security up there, no idea if she took the hint or not.
 
OI Photography said:
DesertFlyer53 said:
I plan to take a aerial photograph of a friends jewelry store tomorrow.

Funny story: a while ago I had to talk a potential client out of some certain shots she wanted to use in advertising for her pawn shop, not only because they were horrible angles to use, but because they also made it very clear how easy it would be to break in through the roof access with nothing more than a bolt cutter. I also suggested she beef up her security up there, no idea if she took the hint or not.

Hahaha! Good point! I will be careful of taking roof shots of the Jewelry store.
 
I have several good friends who are business owners here in town. One of them wants to be my business partner and handle that side of it while I handle the technical side. This could be a match made in heaven! Like I said before, I'm a professional photographer (not my primary income however. I have a full time job in another line of work). Aerial photography has endless possibilities and now that I know it not illegal (at least not yet), I'm going to jump on this opportunity! I live in a relatively small town in southern California. No one else I know here has the capability to do this type of photography (and video). This could be a gold mine! :D
 
DesertFlyer53 said:
I'm a professional photographer (not my primary income however. I have a full time job in another line of work).

Ditto, and yes the opportunities are endless. If you can produce even halfway decent images, your success is just dependent on how aggressively you pursue it.
 
OI Photography said:
DesertFlyer53 said:
I'm a professional photographer (not my primary income however. I have a full time job in another line of work).

Ditto, and yes the opportunities are endless. If you can produce even halfway decent images, your success is just dependent on how aggressively you pursue it.

Much easier than shooting a wedding. Fly my Phantom 2, edit the pictures in Photoshop, make money. I like it! Yes, the opportunties are endless! Keeps me up at night thinking about the possibilities. :D
 
DesertFlyer53 said:
OI Photography said:
DesertFlyer53 said:
I'm a professional photographer (not my primary income however. I have a full time job in another line of work).

Ditto, and yes the opportunities are endless. If you can produce even halfway decent images, your success is just dependent on how aggressively you pursue it.

Much easier than shooting a wedding. Fly my Phantom 2, edit the pictures in Photoshop, make money. I like it! Yes, the opportunties are endless! Keeps me up at night thinking about the possibilities. :D

I will not shoot weddings. Ever. I instituted that policy years ago after the headache ratio was too **** high.

I've filled numerous legal pads and worn through the carpet pacing while thinking of all the potential markets, in photography and elsewhere.
 
DesertFlyer53 said:
I have several good friends who are business owners here in town. One of them wants to be my business partner and handle that side of it while I handle the technical side. This could be a match made in heaven! Like I said before, I'm a professional photographer (not my primary income however. I have a full time job in another line of work). Aerial photography has endless possibilities and now that I know it not illegal (at least not yet), I'm going to jump on this opportunity! I live in a relatively small town in southern California. No one else I know here has the capability to do this type of photography (and video). This could be a gold mine! :D
Hey, I know You!!. the problem is ol buddy your town is so small, you may need a larger customer base. I hope everyone fly's with some common sense, all we need to speed up the otherwise sluggard FAA is a few high profile news reports about those "Crazy" drone pilots crashing into things.
 
F6Rider said:
Hey, I know You!!. the problem is ol buddy your town is so small, you may need a larger customer base. I hope everyone fly's with some common sense, all we need to speed up the otherwise sluggard FAA is a few high profile news reports about those "Crazy" drone pilots crashing into things.

Hey! I know you too Jesse! LOL

Yes small town of about 30,000 people with endless aerial photography possibiles... local TV commercials, newspaper coverage, real estate properities, business aerial photo's framed nicely for display in the lobby, etc. Heck, I bet even a few home owners would like a print of their house to hang in the den! ;)
 
The trend for greater distance is going to become a thorn in our side.
I've extended my range so that I have FPV for 1/2 mile+ I haven't tested the limit, but it covers my property.
We have guys flying far enough that they are worried about battery life getting them back. over 2 miles :eek: regs are coming no doubt
 
i wonder how it would go if i quoted some of this article in Aus. if i ever needed to. all very similar to over here.
 

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