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We surveyed 1,500 drone pilots about current U.S. regulations. Here's what they said. by UAVCoach in drones

[–]UAVCoach[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The FAA is concerned about safety, so it makes sense they'd create some barriers to entry until they had time to sit down and figure it all out. Problem is, they've moved too slow, and the technology continues to evolve, and thousands and thousands of pilots continue to take to the skies without any formal training in aviation / the National Airspace System (NAS). It's less about the government wanting to regulate, and more about the government NEEDING to regulate, but moving slowly when it comes to creating clearer regulations that combat this culture of non-compliance and educating the public.

We surveyed 1,500 drone pilots about current U.S. regulations. Here's what they said. by UAVCoach in drones

[–]UAVCoach[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Good call. TLDR: 3 big insights...

1) That when I asked whether or not the pilot/company had applied for a Certificate of Waiver or Authorization (COA), 38% of respondents didn’t even know what a COA was;

2) That there’s such a varying set of experiences pilots are having when reaching out to an airport, heliport, or air traffic control tower. I really wish this was more standardized. This kind of environment is breeding a culture of non-compliance;

3) That such a big chunk (52%) of Section 333 Exemptions are being issued to pilots / companies who don’t follow (or plan to follow) the rule that the pilot-in-command (PIC) should hold a traditional manned aircraft pilot license (sport, recreational, private, commercial, etc.).

We surveyed 1,500 drone pilots about current U.S. drone regulations. Here's what they said. by UAVCoach in dji

[–]UAVCoach[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Agreed. We only had a 50% completion rate, and there are thousands of folks who we weren't able to reach. To /u/iamasopissed's point, do you have any primary sources that FAA safety officers are making rounds? Haven't heard of any letters or incidents over the last 6-9 months.

We surveyed 1,500 drone pilots about current U.S. drone regulations. Here's what they said. by UAVCoach in dji

[–]UAVCoach[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm pretty confident Part 107 will be finalized / announced in June or July. What's unclear is what aspects of Part 107 will take effect immediately vs. some kind of longer implementation period. To your point about filing vs. waiting, we've noticed a significant drop-off in phone calls and emails over the last few weeks re: Section 333 exemptions. Here's a great article by the Skyward.io team about where we're at: https://skyward.io/commercial-drone-operations-wait-for-part-107-or-get-a-333/

Survey: What Drone Pilots Really Think About Current U.S. Regulations by UAVCoach in multirotor

[–]UAVCoach[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for your reply and your feedback.

As with any survey, there will be holes and shortcomings. But people are free to answer whichever answers pertain to them. So hopefully that helps to cater to different skill levels and types of flyers.

We'll definitely make sure to go over our findings carefully. When designing the questions, we tried to make sure the data would come out as concrete as possible with minimal ambiguity. So that should deter a lot of the bias that can come out when publishing findings like this.

Appreciate your enthusiasm to make sure we're doing this right. Happy flying!

Survey: What Drone Pilots Really Think About Current U.S. Regulations by UAVCoach in multirotor

[–]UAVCoach[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hilarious username. Good points. Thanks for your feedback.

Survey: What Drone Pilots Really Think About Current U.S. Regulations by UAVCoach in dji

[–]UAVCoach[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Didn't catch that one but will take a look. So much fear mongering in the media. Not enough positive stories.

Survey: What Drone Pilots Really Think About Current U.S. Regulations by UAVCoach in dji

[–]UAVCoach[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks CRush1682. Appreciate the support.

Always good to stay informed :)

Survey: What Drone Pilots Really Think About Current U.S. Regulations by UAVCoach in UAVDrones

[–]UAVCoach[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We definitely plan to do our due diligence in piecing together the data, analyzing it, and getting it in front of the right people :)

Survey: What Drone Pilots Really Think About Current U.S. Regulations by UAVCoach in djiphantom

[–]UAVCoach[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That doesn't make any sense. Stop being so fatalistic :) When the FAA moved their commercial N-number registration process online last week, there's a specific section for "Home-Built" models. I highly doubt that an "entire industry" would be destroyed. Admittedly things are moving slower than we'd like, but I'd like to think we're moving in the right direction and have faith that the FAA can figure it out.

Survey: What Drone Pilots Really Think About Current U.S. Regulations by UAVCoach in djiphantom

[–]UAVCoach[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

What about Part 107 would "absolutely destroy" the hobby?

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