FAA Archives - DIY Photography

FAA expects commercial drone market to triple in size by 2023 but consumer demand is dropping

May 10, 2019 by John Aldred 1 Comment

The Federal Aviation Administration has just released its 20-year forecast predicting what may happen in the world of aviation between now and 2039. It covers a number of topics from international and domestic travel to commercial aircraft and UAVs.

Of particular note is that the commercial drone market appears to be expanding rapidly. In fact, they expect it to triple in size by 2023. They also say that consumer drone demand has “slowed considerably” and that they expect it to continue doing so.

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Your drone now needs to have a clearly visible license plate

February 13, 2019 by Dunja Djudjic 16 Comments

After a rule was proposed last year, it’s now been officially made a law: your drone needs to have its ID number visible on the outside. So, instead of just having it inside the device’s battery compartment, you’ll now have to put a “license plate” on your drone.

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Four reasons why it’s nearly impossible to fly a drone in New York City

February 6, 2019 by Dunja Djudjic 3 Comments

New York is a beautiful, lively city full of photographic opportunities. However, it can be a nightmare for drone pilots. In this video, documentary filmmaker Griffin Hammond explains why it’s nearly impossible and mostly illegal to fly a drone in New York City.

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Proposed rule changes could make it easier to fly a drone at night and above crowds

January 15, 2019 by Dunja Djudjic Leave a Comment

If you’re a drone pilot, you know that FAA doesn’t allow flying drones above crowds or at night, unless you have a special waiver. But a new proposed could make it possible to fly drones at night and over crowds in the USA without the need for the waiver.

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U.S authorities will soon be legally allowed to shoot down your private drones

October 5, 2018 by John Aldred 1 Comment

Shooting down drones in the USA has been a thing for a while. Or at least, attempting to. And while there may be circumstances under which civilians are allowed to shoot down privacy-invading drones, the US government wants their chance, too.

Congress has now passed the FAA Reauthorization Act, which will allow them to “disrupt”, “exercise control”, or “seize or otherwise confiscate” drones that they perceive to be a “credible threat”. But it is not without objection.

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DJI can now approve flights in no-fly-zones at their discretion

October 1, 2018 by John Aldred Leave a Comment

DJI has just announced that they have been approved to offer Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability (LAANC) services for professional drone pilots. The FAA set up LAANC this year to help professional drone pilots operate within controlled airspace.

The FAA has been putting DJI through a “rigorous test and validation of DJI’s technology capabilities”, resulting in their seal of approval as a UAS Service Supplier. This allows DJI to offer their customers near-real-time authorisation to fly in controlled airspace near airports.

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Your drone will soon need to have a visible license plate

May 24, 2018 by Dunja Djudjic 2 Comments

Drone registration rules will change according to a recently proposed rule. No, it won’t be deemed unconstitutional again. As a matter of fact, soon it will not be enough to just put the drone’s ID number inside the aircraft. Instead, it will need to have a visible “license plate” on the outside.

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Homeland Security wants to track and destroy drones that they think threaten the public

May 16, 2018 by Chad Verzosa Leave a Comment

Drones have been a gamechanger in the world of photography. With these flying cameras, now everyone can create pro-level footage and video. Unfortunately, there are also a few bad apples who like to use them for shady purposes. Now Department of Homeland Security wants to impose even stricter regulations on drones. So how exactly will this affect law-abiding drone enthusiasts and professionals?

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Flying a drone above the new apple headquarters will most likely be its last flight

February 21, 2018 by John Aldred 19 Comments

There are some things which you think would be obvious. Like walking out into a busy road full of cars, putting your hand in an alligator’s open mouth, or flying your brand new drone over Apple’s shiny new campus – officially dubbed “Apple Park”. But for some people, apparently, it’s not so obvious. When Assaf Kaufman bought his son a new drone for his bar-mitzvah, they decided to take it out for a spot of flying. So, why not take it for a spin in Apple’s direction? What could go wrong?

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Drone pilot flies directly above a passenger plane, could face $250,000 fine and jail

February 8, 2018 by Dunja Djudjic 10 Comments

Drones can cause quite a mess when flying near airports, and there’s even a visualization demonstrating just how chaotic it gets up in the sky. Still, some drone pilots don’t give up on performing stunts dangerously close to airplanes and airports. Just recently, a drone operator “dive-bombed” a passenger airplane and flew directly in its path. The video was posted privately to a Facebook group, but it soon reached FAA and they’re currently investigating the incident.

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