Drones and Photography... What side do you take?

pgriz · May 8, 2014

A lot of things us humans do are usually OK if we use common sense. And as has been noted, common sense is not that common. Plus, given that any population behaviour can usually be expressed by a bell-curve, the outliers on either side are definitely not going to be doing what many would consider to be "right". Applying the trusty "80-20" rule, we therefore can conclude that 80% of the problems are caused by 20% of the population, and they really don't care what the rest of us think. Take away their ability to do mischief, and you're dealing with the 20% of problems the rest of us are causing. Let's also not forget the law of unintended consequences. These are always the ones that no-one thought about at the time when whatever is being proposed is a "really cool idea". Examples of previous "really cool idea" include DDT, asbestos, antibiotics in animal feed, the coupola function, radium watch dials, and the economic thinking behind the thought "a rising tide lifts all boats". There is a place for pilot projects to determine which unintended consequences crawl out of the woodwork, and hopefully, these would allow us to learn enough to make more realistic decisions about the more general introduction of this technology. However, human hubris being what it is, we usually say "sure, why not, what could possibly go wrong?".

curtyoungblood · May 8, 2014

Originally Posted by curtyoungblood
You are currently allowed to fly a radio controlled craft with a camera on it. (~30 states are trying to outlaw cameras on R/C Aircraft)Taking video/photos for PERSONAL use from radio controlled aircraft is OK.
Selling or Making money off the photos/Video is NOT OK. Unmanned aerial systems for commercial purposes is ILLEGAL.

The FAA's stance is pretty clear, there is also a recent court case that muddies this up a little bit, and questions if the FAA has the authority to enforce this policy.
Actually the FAA stance is not clear. They have been charged by congress to create the laws that will regulate drones. They do have the authority, that is not under any dispute. They have also been charged with defining the distinction between hobby rc craft and drones. They have untill sometime in 2015 to have these rules written and in place.

Let me rephrase. The FAA's current position seems to be that you can fly these things for recreational purposes, but any commercial use isn't allowed. A judge recently overturned the only fine they've given out though. The judge's reasoning was that there is no enforceable rule that applied to the situation (Judge overturns first FAA fine against drone operator). So, at the moment, they don't seem to have the ability to actually enforce their claim that using this commercially is against the law. This will, of course, all change once they come up with specific regulations.