A French tourist detained by Iran 10 months ago has finally been charged. Benjamin Briere was arrested after flying a drone near the Iran-Turkmenistan border. His lawyer says the drone tourist faces spy charges and may endure a long prison sentence if found guilty.
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As drones become more advanced, countries are implementing new rules. The UK has done so, requiring camera drones to be registered before taking to the sky. You will also be required to register your drone if it weighs 250 grams and above.
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Today, the Fort Wayne City Council will consider a new ordinance that will put restrictions on when and where drones can be flown. The ordinance would restrict drone flying within a 5,500-foot radius of the Superior Lofts building or within a 500-yard horizontal radius of, or anywhere above, a public event without first notifying the city.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) launches a new Drone Safety Tips video on Facebook. The short clip starts off with the question: “Getting a drone? Before you fly, register it at faadronezone.faa.gov.” you can watch the entire clip here below as well as two videos from 51Drones, who did a great job explaining the registration process on YouTube.
A few days ago we reported on the proposed legislation against flying drones over private property in rural parts of Oklahoma. The rules would only apply to hobbyist drone pilots. Read that article here for more details. I just came across this post here in News OK by the Oklahoman Editorial Board that stressed that the Oklahoma drone bill needs careful review. Even though they raise some valid concerns, they do not mention that the sole authority to control airspace in the US falls with the FAA.
One of the treaths against our ability to fly drones comes from states, municipalities, and landowners as they try to use privacy concerns and private property rights to ban drone flights over their property. Even though the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recently restated that only they control the airspace in the U.S., now the State of Oklahoma considers drone restrictions for hobbyist drone pilots.
After recently welcoming the new rules in Canada and in the UK, DJI issued an official statement today, saying that the Chinese drone maker welcomes the proposed rules for drone flights at night and over people. You can read the complete statement below.
Never mind the partial shut down of the U.S. Government. Today in a speech in Washington, the Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao said that the U.S. Department of Transportation would for the first time allow routine flights over people and flights at night without waivers as long as the drone operators take the appropriate safety precautions. This is a groundbreaking announcement that opens up the possibility of deliveries by drone and a range of other commercial drone applications.
In the aftermath of the Gatwick Fiasco, the UK government outlined new drone rules in a document titled: “Taking Flight: The Future of Drones in the UK” to reduce the likelihood of another supposedly drone-caused fiasco at one of the major airports in England. Here’s DJI’s official response as they welcome new UK drone regulation.
In Tony Northrup’s newest video, he “hopes” that you will buy a drone… but believes that most of you shouldn’t. He makes this claim for more reasons than one, stating that there are very few places to fly drones in the world and that the cost is too high for something that he claims is “disposable.” As major advocates of drones with a channel dedicated to their use, why would Tony and Chelsea make a video about not purchasing one? Let’s dissect their argument.
Millions of people around the world have received drones for Christmas this Holiday Season. In the UK alone the number of drone users is expected to have doubled after this year’s shopping season. So, can you now charge the batteries and go fly right away or are there some things you should learn before you try out your new toy? Hint: for U.S. drone pilots register your drone.