Skip to main content

Protesters tell FAA “If we build it, let it fly”

Yesterday, protesters in Washington, D.C. told the Federal Aviation Administration in no uncertain terms that they were very, very unhappy with the proposed rules for Remote ID for Drones (and model R/C aircraft). A large number of people braved the cold weather and made it out to the FAA’s headquarters with signs saying: “If we build it, let it fly.”

Protesters tell FAA “if we build it, let it fly”

The protests had been announced weeks in advance and was mostly driven by the model aircraft and FPV drone communities. A large number of people showed up the FAA’s head offices in Washington, D.C. with signs saying

  • “If we build it, let it fly”
  • “No fees, No data plans, No way, No how”
  • “Help save our hobby.”
  • “Save RC model Aviation from the FAA”

In one of the videos, you can hear one of the protest organizers say that the FAA has apparently shut their offices down on Friday and told their employees that nobody had to come in for work that day. We are trying to confirm this but if true it goes to show that we are reaching the FAA with our concerns, feedback, and protests.

if you, like many R/C and drone pilots are not happy with the newly proposed rules from the FAA be sure to submit your comments before the 11:59 pm deadline on March 2nd. Yes, that is tomorrow! See below for more information and guides as to how to submit your comments to the FAA.

DroneDJ’s take

DroneDJ is pro Remote ID for drones, but not in the way it’s currently proposed by the Department of Transportation and the FAA. The FAA’s NPRM for Remote ID for drones is overly restrictive, expensive, and invades the privacy of the drone pilot.

If you want to learn more about the FAA’s NPRM for Remote ID for drones, be sure to read these articles here as well as this Drone Advocacy Kit that has been developed by Drone U and FPV FC.

And lastly, please be sure to submit your own original comments to the FAA on the Federal Register’s website. Explain to them how these new rules negatively impact your drone hobby and/or drone business before or on March 2, 2020, at the latest!

What do you think about DJI’s commenting tips for the FAA’s NPRM for Remote ID for Drones, and about DJI’s message? Let us know in the comments below.

What do you think about these protests? Let us know in the comments below.

Stay in touch!

If you’d like to stay up to date with all the latest drone news, scoops, rumors, and reviews, then follow us on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram, or sign up for our daily email newsletter that goes out every weekday at 6 p.m. ET.

Buy your next drone directly from manufacturers, such as DJI, Parrot, and Yuneec, or retailers like Adorama, Amazon, B&H, BestBuy, DroneNerds, or eBay. For our Canadian readers, we recommend buying your drones at Drone Shop Canada. By using our links, we will make a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you for helping DroneDJ grow!

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

You’re reading DroneDJ — experts who break news about DJI and the wider drone ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow DroneDJ on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Don’t know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel.

Comments

Author

Avatar for Haye Kesteloo Haye Kesteloo

Haye Kesteloo is the Editor in Chief and Main Writer at DroneDJ, where he covers all drone related news and writes product reviews. He also contributes to the other sites in the 9to5Mac group such as; 9to5Mac, 9to5Google, 9to5Toys and Electrek. Haye can be reached at haye@dronedj.com or @hayekesteloo