In a landmark decision for film and production companies, the Midwest of the United States, and the unmanned aircraft systems industry, Buchalter Nemer’s Aviation and Aerospace Practice Group made history last week when it secured a Grant of Exemption issued by the Federal Aviation Administration authorizing film and production company Picture Factory, Inc. to operate
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FAA Reports Increasing Conflict Between Drones and Civil Aviation
The Federal Aviation Administration (“FAA”) reports that close calls between conventional aircraft and unmanned aircraft systems (“UAS” or “drones”) have increased during 2014 to more than 40 per month over earlier reports of 10 such incidents in the months of March and April. Some of these incidents have occurred in the busy airspace surrounding Los Angeles, California, Washington, D.C., and John F. Kennedy Airport in New York. Some of these conflicts have arisen because untrained operators of recreational drones are unaware of FAA’s guidelines governing such use. Those guidelines ask, among other things, that “hobby” drones stay away from civil aviation, below 400 feet AGL, and at least 5 miles from airports. However, as FAA prepares to release its highly anticipated Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for small unmanned aircraft systems, the focus is not on hobbyists, but on commercial operators.…
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Interview with Avionics Magazine
Aviation and aerospace attorney Paul Fraidenburgh was quoted in “Pirker v. Huerta Ruling Clears the Way to UAS Integration” published in Avionics Magazine on November 25, 2014. The full article is available here: http://www.aviationtoday.com/av/commercial/Pirker-v-Huerta-Ruling-Clears-the-Way-to-UAS-Integration_83611.html#.VHUKG53Tncv
Pirker Reversed: NTSB Confirms FAA Has Jurisdiction Over Drones
Earlier today, in a landmark decision for the unmanned aircraft systems industry, the National Transportation Safety Board reversed the Administrative Law Judge Patrick Geraghty’s order in the Pirker case and held that unmanned aircraft systems fall squarely within the definition of “aircraft” under the Federal Aviation Regulations. This is the most significant legal opinion issued to date on the issue of drones in the United States.
“This case calls upon us to ascertain a clear, reasonable definition of ‘aircraft’ for purposes of the prohibition on careless and reckless operation in 14 C.F.R. § 91.13(a). We must look no further than the clear, unambiguous plain language of 49 U.S.C. § 40102(a)(6) and 14 C.F.R. § 1.1: an ‘aircraft’ is any ‘device’ ‘used for flight in the air.’ This definition includes any aircraft, manned or unmanned, large or small. The prohibition on careless and reckless operation in § 91.13(a) applies with respect to the operation of any ‘aircraft’ other than those subject to parts 101 and 103. We therefore remand to the law judge for a full factual hearing to determine whether respondent operated the aircraft ‘in a careless or reckless manner so as to endanger the life or property of another,’ contrary to § 91.13(a).”
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One code to rule them all: Dronecode
Paul Fraidenburgh’s article, “One code to rule them all: Dronecode,” appeared in the October 30, 2014 issue of Computerworld. The article is available here: http://www.computerworld.com/article/2841493/one-code-to-rule-them-all-dronecode.html
Update on Developments in California Drone Law
The governor acted recently on the two bills involving use of unmanned aerial vehicles (“UAVs or “drones”) sitting on his desk, AB 1327 (Gorell) and AB 2306 (Chau). Both were discussed in some depth previously in this space. One bill was signed and the other vetoed. …
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FAA Grants Exemptions for Filming with Unmanned Aircraft Systems
In a landmark decision for the UAS (aka drone) industry and for the aviation industry as a whole, the Federal Aviation Administration announced today that it has granted 6 petitions for regulatory exemptions to operate unmanned aircraft systems for commercial filming operations. The exemptions will allow the 6 petitioners to operate unmanned aircraft systems for…
Recent Developments in California Drone Law
Two significant pieces of legislation proposing to limit and/or control the use of unmanned aircraft systems (“UAS” or “drone”) were passed by the California Legislature last week and now await the signature of Governor Jerry Brown.
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Drone Filmmaking and the Technological Power Shift
MovieMaker Magazine published an article titled “Drone Filmmaking and the Technological Power Shift” by our blog’s co-author Paul Fraidenburgh. The full text of the article is reprinted after the jump.…
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Amazon Prime Air
Amazon has announced it will use unmanned aircraft systems to deliver packages. But how soon? Westlaw Journal Aviation quoted Barbara Lichman and Paul Fraidenburgh today in an article entitled “The FAA’s recent notice and Amazon drone delivery.”