Goodbye Everybody Thanks - FAA Shut me down

[scooter339]

I started back in February of this year to build a commercial business with my Phantom 2. I was getting a lot of positive reaction and future job bookings. I hesitated fulfilling the jobs because:

1. Frankly my piloting skills needed A LOT of work.

2. Wind - I can't do a real estate fly over at 2 pm here, At 7 am and a still day sure, but my future clients especially the festivals and business promos can't deal with that 7 am fight times.

3. When I sent in my COA to the FAA. They rejected it and sent me a letter along with the rejection stating I cannot fly under any circumstances commercially and will be subject to prosecution if I do. Yikes!

So, I parted out my Phantom 2 this week trying to recoup as much of the $2200.00 investment I made in equipment.

WARNING to newbies: follow the advice of the experienced pilots on this forum. DO NOT push your flight abilities -- everyone seems to and regrets it later me included. DON'T fly with your gimbal and GoPro until you can pilot the Phantom on an intermediate level.

And finally, trees are your enemy. A wide open grassy park is where you fly until your a Pilot.

Now I know this advice is falling on mostly deaf ears. That's too bad.

Thanks again for the help.

scooter339

 

[JWarren]

cannot fly under any circumstances commercially and will be subject to prosecution if I do. Yikes!

People are doing this and getting away with it all the time. There are loopholes I have no doubt you could use. I just fly for fun, not business, but if you enjoy this DO NOT let that letter of intimidation shut you down. Just my 2 cents.

Regards,
J.

 

[N017RW]

Agreed.

Ask for forgiveness... not for permission

 

[pyrophantom]

Lets face it flying these things has responsibilities for recreational flyers and those in business. The UK has CAA courses for pilots of small UAVs who want to use them for business purposes, where they learn flight skills, weather interpretation, navigation etc before the CAA certifies them as fit to fly, which I think is only right and correct that its policed in that way.

Just my thoughts.

:|

 

[vikingtattoos]

I started back in February of this year to build a commercial business with my Phantom 2. I was getting a lot of positive reaction and future job bookings. I hesitated fulfilling the jobs because:

1. Frankly my piloting skills needed A LOT of work.

2. Wind - I can't do a real estate fly over at 2 pm here, At 7 am and a still day sure, but my future clients especially the festivals and business promos can't deal with that 7 am fight times.

3. When I sent in my COA to the FAA. They rejected it and sent me a letter along with the rejection stating I cannot fly under any circumstances commercially and will be subject to prosecution if I do. Yikes!

So, I parted out my Phantom 2 this week trying to recoup as much of the $2200.00 investment I made in equipment.

WARNING to newbies: follow the advice of the experienced pilots on this forum. DO NOT push your flight abilities -- everyone seems to and regrets it later me included. DON'T fly with your gimbal and GoPro until you can pilot the Phantom on an intermediate level.

And finally, trees are your enemy. A wide open grassy park is where you fly until your a Pilot.

Now I know this advice is falling on mostly deaf ears. That's too bad.

Thanks again for the help.

scooter339

Scooter, I hear ya on that WIND issue here in Colorado, however I dont understand why the customers should not be able to understand that early morning is the best conditions for shooting video here? Also i was reading in the new FAA reg that they are trying to push thru , that businesses are not affected? Rick

 

[ianwood]

You tried to follow their rules. They denied you with no recourse. You need to make a livelihood. There are no rules preventing you from pursuing that particular livelihood. I think that should give you plenty of legal ground to stand on. Your flying skills, well, that may be a different story.

 

[pyrophantom]

Do the FAA not run courses for people wanting to use UAVs for business purposes ?? We have a certification scheme in the UK for UAVs under 20Kg

:?:

 

[JWarren]

Do the FAA not run courses for people wanting to use UAVs for business purposes ?? We have a certification scheme in the UK for UAVs under 20Kg

:?:

No, they do not.

 

[derrickduff]

The FAA is about 10 years behind the technology right now. Although they are due to make the laws by the end of the year they likely won't be in place for another 2-3 years.

 

[Elfman12]

Take several ground shots of the properties with your DSLR, then bill only for those... even stating (if you'd like) that there's specifically no fee for aerial work.

 

[ianwood]

Here's the way it is:

CAA rules: restrictive and over bearing, being enforced as expected.

FAA rules: non-existent, being enforced by fabricating associations to real planes, harassment and obfuscation.

 

[CarlJ]

Yesterday I was out filming and had a run in with the local police over a new law in Indiana. I came home and started to research the law and came across this. I can see a situation where a few of you might end up just like this pilot.

http://www.theindychannel.com/news/call ... ing-threat

 

[lvzx14]

You tried to follow their rules. They denied you with no recourse. You need to make a livelihood. There are no rules preventing you from pursuing that particular livelihood. I think that should give you plenty of legal ground to stand on. Your flying skills, well, that may be a different story.

I doubt it was his "livelihood" and has his main career/income and if not then he is doing it wrong imo. From a common sense view it just does not make sense in the current state of things.

That's just my opinion, I am in no way "bashing" on him I just think anybody getting into this and having it be their only source of income or livelihood should know they are taking a risk.

Sorry to hear that OP, maybe later when rules and regulation's are set in place you can get back into it but for the meantime you should still remain in the hobby or build a small fpv rig to enjoy. There are no rules against that........yet

 

[pyrophantom]

Its a shame the guy has to lose a potential living and its pretty poor the FAA dont encourage people like that by offering certified training courses along the lines of our CAA, which would promote instruction and proper practise and methods instead of just penalising people.

At least then you have a set of guidelines and standards on which you can be judged. Makes you wonder they dont really want people flying UAVs at all !!

Shame. :?

 

[480sparky]

Look into mast-based imaging.

I have a 50' quadpod and a 40's WonderPole.

 

[JWarren]

Screw that (not to speak bad of your mast based imaging) but they'll get my PV2+ from my cold dead hands. :x

 

[Suwaneeguy]

Viking, the FAA is still trying to create and enforce laws that do not exist.
1) You do not need a COA for an R/C vehicle. Period.
2) Congress told the FAA, in a law, that says the FAA has no authority over R/C vehicles.
3) The NTSB has already ruled that the FAA can not enforce laws that do not exist.

Why did you tell the FAA you were going to use it for commercial purposes? That just gives them the oppurtunity to bully even more.

 

[steveeds]

Agreed.

Ask for forgiveness... not for permission

What he said, there's true wisdom in that.

 

[scooter339]

Lets face it flying these things has responsibilities for recreational flyers and those in business. The UK has CAA courses for pilots of small UAVs who want to use them for business purposes, where they learn flight skills, weather interpretation, navigation etc before the CAA certifies them as fit to fly, which I think is only right and correct that its policed in that way.

Just my thoughts.

:|

Exactly!

 

[scooter339]

Viking, the FAA is still trying to create and enforce laws that do not exist.
1) You do not need a COA for an R/C vehicle. Period.
2) Congress told the FAA, in a law, that says the FAA has no authority over R/C vehicles.
3) The NTSB has already ruled that the FAA can not enforce laws that do not exist.

Why did you tell the FAA you were going to use it for commercial purposes? That just gives them the oppurtunity to bully even more.

I am somewhat down with your rancor, but the people who wanted to pay me asked me about the FAA and they also asked me about my liability insurance. Two deal breakers right there without the FAA issue. One organization wanted me to fly over their street carnival event. He didn't even ask about what would happen if the P2 dropped from the sky and took out a child.