We at the DSPA have become aware of US Senator Lee’s draft bill which could cram all drone traffic into a 200-400 feet altitude zone creating hazards for all drone users and making it next to impossible to conduct drone operations safely whether commercial or recreational. It would allow restrictions in the “vicinity of schools, parks, roadways, bridges, moving locations, or other public or private property,” meaning this could mean the end of drone use, even in our own backyards. The bill would give State, local, and Tribal authorities the right to exclusive control of the airspace from the ground to 200’AGL.
This bill would gut many of our small and medium sized drone businesses by making it much more difficult to take real estate photos, conduct land surveys, and do our work. We are closely monitoring the draft bill and working with other organizations to craft a unified and coordinated response to this dangerous, drastic, and destructive legislation.
The DSPA will let you know as soon as we need to take action. Stay tuned.
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The silence from the FAA on this issue is deafening.
To be fair, this isn’t even introduced yet. And once it is, we’ll see if they can give an opinion. And since Congress gives the FAA its marching orders, they is limited in response. They can certainly give their opinion of what would happen once it is (if it is) introduced, but they have to be asked for the most part. The Anti-Lobbying Act (18 USC 1913) severely limits expression of opinion. Check out https://www.citizen.org/wp-content/uploads/govt-lobbying-govt.pdf
Wow! Mike Lee just doesn’t give up! It was only a month or two back that he tried to do this same thing. I wrote to him mentioning some of the same points that you (DSPA) have stated. I hope others will get on board and write to this man once again. I sure don’t understand his reasoning for submitting this bill. It is getting hard for me to not try and get face to face with him and be a bit angry.
Please any of you drone pilots out there that are seeing or hearing about what Mike Lee is doing, write to him and ask/tell him to stop!
Thank you, Vic and Kenji for all you are doing in the effort to help the drone community.
I’m one of the many licensed commercial drone pilots and a professional pilot. We are already restricted to 400 foot max altitude above the ground, or 400 feet above whatever structure we are flying over. Drone pilots have been getting a bad rap for some time because of those some of the illegal flights that some irresponsible people have performed.
Drones have become a tremendous tool for professional photographers, Search and Rescue, police, and fire departments. They are being used in the construction, cell tower inspection, power line inspections, and many other applications.
The FAA is the one who needs to make regulations regarding anything that flies. I’ve been a pilot since 1976 and have dealt with the FAA several times. They have one focus, safe operations of anything that flies, and they do a very good job of it.
Let the politicians have the FAA do their job and please don’t mess with something that you aren’t knowledgeable enough about to introduce reasonable legislation
Excellent point!!!
I just emailed Senator Lee to voice my displeasure with his drone 200-400 foot idea. I’m a licensed land surveyor in Utah.
Let’s have the FAA license drone pilots & the FAA can punish the bad actors. And I STRONGLY FEEL bad actors should be dealt with harshly. I agree with Richard Pery that the FAA does a very good job of keeping the skies safe. And thank you DSPA for all you do!
Martina Nelson
Thanks!