FAA Safety on Flying Your Drone

You’re heading to the stores on Black Friday to buy that shiny new camera-equipped drone you’ve yearning for. You can’t wait to get into the sky and let loose your inner high-flying aerial photographer, right. Did you know you’re also going to become a pilot?

When you fly your drone in US airspace, you are part of the US aviation system. Legally, your drone is an aircraft. So while the rules for drones may be different, you have the responsibility to operate safely, just as a Cessna or 747 pilot does. The FAA has developed this safety checklist that you, as a pilot, should use whenever you send drone into the Wild Blue Yonder. We want you to fly safe, fly smart – and have fun.

What is The FAA’s Definition of a Drone or UAS?

According to the Federal Aviation Administration, a UAS is the unmanned aircraft (UA) and all of the associated support equipment, control station, data links, telemetry, communications and navigation equipment, etc., necessary to operate the unmanned aircraft. The UA is the flying portion of the system, flown by a pilot via a ground control system, or autonomously through use of an on-board computer, communication links and any additional equipment that is necessary for the UA to operate safely. The FAA issues an experimental airworthiness certificate for the entire system, not just the flying portion of the system.

Sources Cited: FFA Website http://www.faa.gov/ Photo Credit: Wall Street Journal