Update: drone flying in The Villages
 

Hi all,
I reviewed an old thread (now closed) about flying drones in The Villages...ref: https://www.talkofthevillages.com/fo...03/index4.html

Questions:
I do know that Don Wiley is the guru for the drone club here in the villages and I have flown with them at the Soaring Eagles baseball fields.

I was told yesterday that there may be some updates to local policies specific to drones?

A LAANC approval does show us here as open airspace

So, non-commercial recreational flying is still legal?

Pls no snarky comments...just questioning from a FAA 107 licensed pilot...

Would suggest you contact Don for this info he is the resident expert.

Legal or not, it is probably not a good idea to fly over private property (without permission), or the pools. I will leave it to others to say if they think flying over the golf courses should be allowed during play.

It is impossible to fly a drone without ever being over private property.

Without permission?

Google finds an ordinance specific to Lake County but nothing for Sumter County.

There were several pages on drone laws in Florida that all seem to provide the same information.

Flying over people
 

All true. Even licensed FAA 107 pilots have a variety of STIFF rules about flying over people. Unknowing recreation pilots violate this a lot.

Airspace is not subject to Villages ordinances or policies. It is regulated by the FAA.
The federal rules under 107 are the legal restrictions. Beyond that, there are things one might not want to do in order to remain a "good neighbor" and not attract law enforcement.
The State and Local laws focus on where a drone can land or lift off from. There are legal arguments that laws restricting where flying can happen are invalid because they are overruled by federal law.
The rules about cameras looking where someone has a reasonable expectation of privacy are quite valid.

I fly my drone from my house over to the square all the time. Is it your suggestion that I get permission from the hundreds of homes that I fly over on any given day?
Tell me you know nothing about drones without telling me...

People who "fly" drones, call themselves "Pilots"?

Well that certainly cheapen's my FAA Airmen's Certificate.

This is interesting, I think I saw one this evening (3/7) at dusk, and I would think it was over Brownwood square, but this is a guess. The maneuvers gave it away, as no plane (red and green lights) could do what this device did. It stopped midair, and then did a controlled vertical decent until it was out of my view.

And free tuition to obtain! Kidding
You would think ‘operator’ would be more fitting

I have an FAA Private & Instrument Rating.

People ask, "oh, are you a pilot"? I respond, "not really. I'm legal to fly an airplane and fly it in bad weather, but I don't consider myself a 'pilot'. Guys who fly jets in the military and guys sitting up front on your JetBlue flight ... those guys are 'pilots'".

Now I hear that guys who filled out the card that came in the box of their $79.95 drone and mailed it to the FAA, are now calling themselves "pilots" ?

It reminds of reading posts on FaceBook, where someone is talking about their daughter Suzy, "who's is going to Medical School". Well, Suzy isn't exactly going to "Med School", she's taking a 4 day course to be a CNA.

The FAA has an Unmanned Pilot license (part 107) that pertains to Drones and unmanned aircraft. It is not an easy test and requires many hours of study to pass. It is administered by an FAA representative and is costly for the recreational flyer. There are a lot of regulations with unmanned aircraft (it would be wise to understand what they are before flying) and there are more passed, it seems, everyday. The latest one that effects recreational flyers is the Remote ID requirements, without RMID you will be severely limited as to where you can fly your drone. Most drones 2 years of age or less probably have the capability to comply with the requirements of Remote ID but will need to be registered with the FAA to get RMID compliance certification. Older drones will need to have a RMID module added. RMID gives the FAA real time access to the drones location, just like manned aircraft. This is suppose to go into effect this month!

Yes, without permission, you do not own the airspace above any property, that is controlled by the FAA.

First off, my last name is spelled W i l e y.

Commercial and recreational flying is legal throughout The Villages and surrounding areas.

LAANC approval is required when flying in restricted airspace such as within 5 miles of an airport, Leesburg being the closest of these. There are 15 general aviation untowered airfields within 5 miles of the boundaries of The Villages. I've reached out to all of these over the years and only received a few responses, mainly - keep it under 400ft, don't bother us again, and a few other choice words we used in the engineer of a submarine when something broke.

Part 107 flight certificate (14CFR107) is required for commercial operations but not required for recreational. Recreational pilots must take the TRUST exam, just go to the faa.gov/uas website for a link to take the test, it's free and you can't fail.

Flying over private property is legal and does not require permission. The FAA owns the airspace not the property owner. (United States v. Causby (1946) – airspace ownership of a private individual “immediate reaches above the land”)

Neither the county, the city, nor The Villages can make any laws or regulations concerning use, operation, or any other restrictions specific to sUAS (drones), that power belongs to the state per FS330.41.

Lake county ordinance, is legal under 330.41 as it is not specific to drones.

Lake County FL Code of Ordinances Chapter 16 Parks and Recreation
Section 16-7 – Prohibited Activities
16-7(a)(9) Non-recreation areas. No person or persons shall engage in rough or potentially dangerous games or practice for same, such as football, baseball, softball, horseshoes, quoits, tennis volleyball, badminton or any other games, practice or exercise involving thrown or otherwise propelled objects such as balls, stones, arrows, javelins, shuttlecocks, Frisbees, model aircraft, roller skates or skateboards in those areas posted as nonrecreation
areas, or in those areas specifically restricted.

There is also the Florida Administrative code:
Florida Administrative Code 5I-4.003.(11) (Forestry – Vehicular, Animal and Pedestrian Control)
No person shall takeoff or land an aircraft on managed lands, except at a runway or a helispot and only with authorization from the Service, and such authorization shall be based upon a determination that the takeoff or landing will not endanger the health, safety or welfare of any person; potentially damage the forest resources; or interfere with management objectives of that forest as provided in that forest’s management plan. Authorization from the Service is not required in an emergency or for Service official business.)

There are two other Florid laws that apply 330.411 Prohibited possession or operation of unmanned aircraft.
and
Florida Statute 934.50 Searches and seizures using a drone. - this one covers the privacy issues related to drone operation.

14CFR89 – sUAS Remote Identification requirements - this is the latest changes to the law requiring Remote ID on all sUAS or their operation is restricted to an FAA Recognized Identification Area (FRIA). Most newer aircraft have RID built in, if not you can purchase a RID module and attach it to your aircraft (stupidly expensive right now), or you will be limited to a FRIA area.

You only need to get your Part 107 certificate if you work is monetized - basically any one or any entity received monetary or other compensation for your work. This include YouTube and Facebook postings; YT & FB are compensated for your work even if you are not, therefore it is commercial work and a Part 107 cert is required.

Getting you Part 107 cert is neither difficult nor expensive. The Drone Flyers Club offers to its members discounted study books and training every month on Part 107. Depending on your background and experience it will take you 6 to ??? to study for the test. The testing is done at the Leesburg airport and costs about $150. The DFC had 2 members get their 107 cert this week, and has a goal of 50% of the membership getting or having their 107 by the end of the year, we're at about 40% right now.

Hope that answers your questions. Send me a PM if you have more.

Many of the responses seem to center on privacy, what I'm curious is if the drone causes any damage either to property or even worst to a human are these so call pilots liable.

Just think, you can remove dog poop from your yard, and drop it back at offender's house by drone, all from the comfort of your favorite armchair.
When you get really good at it, you could drop a packet on the errant dog owners head.
The sky is the limit!

Funny
 

This is from a bunch of people living on top of each other and staring into others lanais and reporting garden gnomes bwahahhahha

:BigApplause:

Yes, the FAA calls and considers the operator of a drone or sUAS a pilot.

Yes, the pilot would be liable for damage and personal injury

§107.23 Hazardous operation.
No person may:
(a) Operate a small unmanned aircraft system in a careless or reckless manner so as to endanger the life or property of another; or
(b) Allow an object to be dropped from a small unmanned aircraft in a manner that creates an undue hazard to persons or property.

I agree with this thinking. I feel the same way about titles such as “sailor” and “astronaut.”

I’m not a sailor because I go on a cruise and no one is an astronaut just because they took a joy ride in a suborbital rocket. A far as I’m concerned, you don’t deserve such titles unless you do it for a living.

Curious what it is about Drone flying for recreation that is fun/enjoyable?

Thank you , Don.
You took a lot of time and gave a factual analysis to a very valid question.
Without you, this discussion would have rambled on for 6 pages, and yes, there would have been snarky comments.
You are one of the unique people who make The Villages the best place in America.

Absolutely
 

I also agree with this thinking. I was a locomotive engineer for a passenger railroad and many of the guys thought they were really something special. In reality, running a 10 or 12 car passenger train is waaaaay different form running a mile or so long freight train through the mountains. Most passenger guys would tear that freight train apart. Myself included. Same title but still apples and oranges.

The ego on some people!
The obsession with titles.
Dont get me started....Chiropractors and Podiatrists (kidding) but it's a Seinfeld episode brewing here!

TRUST Certificate is a requirement
 

Every drone flyer in the US must take and pass the TRUST exam on the FAA.gov website.
Law enforcement and FAA officials can legally ask for that certificate from any drone flyer while they are flying. The fines have been up to $30,000 if a drone flyer does not have that certificate while flying.
The FAA has authority over all air space and not local or state law enforcement. All air space in The Villages is Class G air space with no restrictions. However, drones are not permitted to fly over groups of people, public events or stadiums full of people.
I am VP of the Drone Flyers Club of The Villages and Don Wiley is President. Our club educates drone flyers and promotes safety and respect for others while flying drones.

You could be VP of United Airlines and you'd still be wrong and a perfect example of why a drone "pilot" isn't in the same universe as someone with an FAA Airmen's Certificate.

I didn't look at a Sectional to see what is or isn't Class G airspace over The Villages but I can assure you, that doesn't mean there are "no restrictions". It means some portion of the airspace over The Villages is "uncontrolled airspace". Uncontrolled Airspace is a world apart from "no restrictions".

You really should get your terms straight and understand what you're talking about.

Class G Airspace, Explained | Boldmethod

So tell us, what restrictions are there for drones other than not flying over groups of people, public events, or stadiums full of people?

To answer a question above, I enjoy getting a unique vantage point over a common area that's not normally seen (or easily assessable). Also, I make personal video diaries of my travels where I'll have my drone follow me while I ride a bike or drive a boat, etc. It just adds a little extra to an otherwise boring video of mine.

Voyeurism, mostly.

Creepy in a development like TV. In major cities its vital. To law enforcement, fire departments, real estate professionals etc.

I use mine for good video and photos. I've gotten some really good video of friends riding my jet ski as i operate the drone from the boat.

If I take my Sunfish sail boat out on the lake, I'm a sailor. It's my sailboat, I'm the one steering it and setting the sail, coming about, doing all the work (a Sunfish is a single-person sailboat). I don't do it for a living, I do it because I like sailing.

Check out any of Mr. Wiley's videos about the Villages construction, and you'll see for yourself why it's so much fun. It's fun for those of us privileged to experience the expansion from a bird's-eye view.

If you give out legal advice in jail they call you a jailhouse lawyer. Just kidding

The point we all are making is that a ‘Pilot’ is a professional. Involving extensive education and practical training. A very serious occupation not to be confused with a drone operator....a recreational hobby.

Yes, The USA military has many drone pilots with years of training holding top secret security clearances. They are treated with great respect.

Any more questions?

Fixed that for you

Thank you kind sir!

Definitely, ask Don.