Question for Drone Pilots

[ScannerChef]

My radio club helps out on a number of bike ride events, races, and runs by providing communications in areas where there is no cell coverage. Generally we have operators at rest stops and a few volunteers riding, hiking, or driving between them depending on the situation, looking for injuries or riders with mechanical failures.

It occurred to me today that maybe a drone operator stationed on a hill might be able to fly a drone up and down some of these areas and report. I have no idea if this is practical--any drone hobbyists care to share opinions on it? I'm guessing at the very least, frequent battery swaps would be required.

 

[buddrousa]

A drone that would fill your needs is several thousands of dollars several spare batteries a commercial drone pilots license a FAA registered Drone that squawks its tail number to comply with FAA Regulations.

 

[K4EET]

Does your club have a drone pilot that is licensed under FAA Part 107? Since they would be flying for a club event, I believe that they cannot be considered an individual hobbyist.

 

[K4EET]

@buddrousa beat me to it…

 

[buddrousa]

It was a close tie. We both were typing at the same time.

 

[prcguy]

There are $400 hobby class drones that will fill the bill just fine with about 30min flight time before swapping batteries. The DJI Mavic Air 2 would be one. Legality of a hobbyist flying for a radio club needs to be answered. If it's not for profit it may be fine.

 

[K4EET]

The participants and spectators of the event might be a concern for a FAA Part 107 license:

https://www.faa.gov/uas/commercial_operators/operations_over_people

 

[prcguy]

Looking into the FAA Part 107 license it seems the main criteria for needing one is for business purposes as in making money from your drone. If the radio club is not a business and does not charge for participating in events and the drone pilot is not charging money then the drone pilot is simply flying and reporting what he sees. I don't see a need for a license to fly a hobby class drone in this case, but I'm not the FAA.

 

[K4EET]

<snip> I don't see a need for a license to fly a hobby class drone in this case, but I'm not the FAA.

Yup. We are not the FAA. They would also be limited to a 400 foot ceiling as a hobbyist. The drone would need to be registered if it weighs 250 grams (0.55 pounds) or more. What we need in this thread is a FAA Part 107 Instructor to help answer what is legal and what is not.

 

[jtwalker]

Hobbyist drone pilots also must fly line-of-sight, meaning they must have direct sight of the drone without any aids (binoculars, spotting scope, etc).

 

[K4EET]

Something tells me that the scenario stated by the OP is not going to comply with:

49 USC 44809: Exception for limited recreational operations of unmanned aircraft

https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title49-section44809&num=0&edition=prelim

 

[K4EET]

Hobbyist drone pilots also must fly line-of-sight, meaning they must have direct sight of the drone without any aids (binoculars, spotting scope, etc).

Good point!

 

[K4EET]

Watching this short video makes me feel that the OPs scenario will NOT qualify as “recreational” under the FAA’s rules even if unpaid. The drone pilot just doesn’t seem to be doing this for recreational enjoyment. But that’s just me and I’m not the FAA.

 

[prcguy]

Watching this short video makes me feel that the OPs scenario will NOT qualify as “recreational” under the FAA’s rules even if unpaid. The drone pilot just doesn’t seem to be doing this for recreational enjoyment. But that’s just me and I’m not the FAA.

I consider amateur radio a recreational hobby. Joining an amateur radio club is a hobby. Participating in most amateur radio club exercises is a hobby. Flying a drone while participating in your radio club hobby should still be a hobby. It's not a commercial venture, no money is charged or brought in. The drone pilot is doing it for fun. Its either recreational or commercial and for profit. What other two options are there?

If you were flying a drone over a race and the FAA shows up and asks you what you're doing and you say I'm having fun, what are they going to do? If the FAA asks if your charging money you're not. What are they going to do? Your drone is a hobby class and not subject to being commercially licensed, what are they going to do?

 

[KK4JUG]

If you were flying a drone over a race and the FAA shows up and asks you what you're doing and you say I'm having fun, what are they going to do? If the FAA asks if your charging money you're not. What are they going to do? Your drone is a hobby class and not subject to being commercially licensed, what are they going to do?

But then comes the legal concept of "totality of the circumstances." And, irrespective of what he says, what he's actually doing also carries a lot of weight.

 

[ScannerChef]

It's all volunteer and non-profit stuff, and the goal is to increase the safety of the people participating. Given the amount of concern raised here, though, I think I'd check with the FAA before attempting anything.

The line of sight rule sounds pretty limiting, though. How far away can someone see a brightly-colored drone in the sky?

 

[ScannerChef]

Oh, I was just poking around on the FAA site and found this which seems spot on:

"Goodwill can also be considered non-recreational. This would include things like volunteering to use your drone to survey coastlines on behalf of a non-profit organization."

 

[buddrousa]

I know 2 local people who sold their drones after flying them in a non-profit event after finding out a hobby is you doing something for you not others.

 

[JethrowJohnson]

I'm not Part 107 licensed yet, but my department just started a drone team, and we're a volunteer department but still have to be Part 107. A member who isn't licensed can still fly the drone, but only under supervision of the license holder. And we still have to keep the drone within line-of-sight, but if you have multiple people whose only job is to keep an eye on the drone, you can give them each a radio and just make sure your spotters can see it at all times. Another important rule is that you can't fly directly above any person or vehicle who isn't in your group.