Congress is debating the passage of new law allowing the federal government to shoot down private drones that it might consider a “credible threat” to an asset defined as being a high risk and potential target for unmanned aircraft activity. What is the law regarding operating private drones? What is a drone? Federal law has authority over anything in U.S. national airspace. The Federal Aviation Administration regulates drone operations. Under federal law, a drone is any unmanned aircraft system capable of sustained flight though the air that is to be operated from the ground. It includes aircraft with communications links and components that control the machine. Thus, paper airplanes, toy balloons, kites or frisbees are not subject to drone regulation. To fall under drone regulation, the craft must be between 0.55 and 55 pounds. Model aircraft, if 0.55 pounds or more, may fall under these regulations if they do not pose a safety hazard. Registration with the FAA is required for operating any drones. There are two types of registration — recreational and commercial. Both require line of sight. No drone may be operated out of the operator’s personal sight or the sight of a more remote observer. In recreational use, you must yield the right of way to manned aircraft; follow additional local law safety guidelines; if flying within 5 miles of an airport, provide advanced notification to such airport; stay away from other aircraft; not fly over people; and fly only in airspace allowed by the FAA for recreational use. For commercial use, in addition to the recreational requirements, the craft must stay under 400 feet; fly in daylight at or below 100 mph; and not fly from a moving vehicle. Preflight inspections by the operator must be made. The operator must be at least 16 and pass flight certification exams. All drone operators must carry the registration certificate on them. The fees for registration are currently $5 and $10, depending on the type of registration. The FAA has websites providing the latest lists of drones requiring registration and restrictions on their operation, as well as applying for either recreational or commercial registration. Under the authority given by federal law, Illinois and other states have enacted their own laws further restricting drone operation so as to protect privacy and prevent nuisances that otherwise might occur. This past summer, the state Department of Transportation has been tasked with setting those specific rules for operation statewide. Chicago is allowed its own rules. We don’t need drones unnecessarily stirring dust from bean fields, or snooping in neighbor’s windows, or interfering with pop flies at baseball games or, most importantly, interfering with my tee shot on the golf course (unless the drone prevents the shot from going out of bounds). The shoot-down bill on Capitol Hill is being criticized as vague as to what drones might be a “credible threat” and what assets are a “high risk and potential target.” There’s no question frisbees at public parks have posed a credible threat to my picnic plate. But we’ve droned on long enough. Why don’t you just go fly a kite? Brett Kepley is a lawyer with Land of Lincoln Legal Assistance Foundation. You can send your questions to The Law Q&A, 302 N. First St., Champaign, IL 61820. Questions may be edited for space. Powered by WPeMatico The post The Law Q&A | The ups and downs of drone regulations appeared first on PCStoreNearMe. via Technology Latest News – PCStoreNearMe https://ift.tt/2NRWEkh
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DUBAI (Reuters) – Dubai International Airport said on Sunday it was operating as normal following a news report Yemen’s armed Houthi movement had launched a drone attack against the airport. “With regards to reports by questionable sources this morning, Dubai Airports can confirm that Dubai International (DXB) is operating as normal without any interruption,” said an airport spokesman. The Houthi’s Masirah TV earlier said, without providing evidence, a Sammad-3 drone had launched a drone attack on the airport. UAE officials last month denied reports by Houthi media that the group had targeted Dubai airport with a drone. Reporting by Alexander Cornwell and Asma Alsharif; Editing by Elaine Hardcastle
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Powered by WPeMatico The post Dubai airport says operating as normal after Houthi drone attack report appeared first on PCStoreNearMe. via Technology Latest News – PCStoreNearMe https://ift.tt/2Qli3PM The Hisense H9E Plus is a 4K Smart TV with HDR and its price will make you want it! Follow me for all the updates! Powered by WPeMatico The post Our new 4K HDR TV for the Office! – Hisense H9E Plus appeared first on PCStoreNearMe. via Technology Latest News – PCStoreNearMe https://ift.tt/2NV9iiR Andia/UIG via Getty Images Congress is posed to pass a five-year Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) Reauthorization Act of 2018 which represents substantive changes to how drones could be operated within the United States on both amateur and professional levels. The drone industry’s biggest argument with the FAA Reauthorization the removal of 226 also known as the Special Rule for Model Aircraft. Implemented in the FAA Reauthorization of 2012, Section 336 has prevented rules or regulations from being applied to model airplanes or aircraft weighing 55 pounds or less. Advertisement – Continue Reading Below While amateur flying is still a niche interest, the advent of drones has increased its popularity dramatically. In 2017, Section 336 was cited to overturn an FAA decision that would have required drone flyers to register their UAVs. The drone industry, eager for the type of regulation which would prove their industry’s safety to customers both personal and industrial, was disappointed with how Section 336 was used. “The FAA’s innovative approach to drone registration was very reasonable, and registration provides for accountability and education to drone pilots,” DJI’s Vice President of Policy & Legal Affairs, Brendan Schulman, told Recode last year. The Shenzhen-based DJI makes up approximately three-fourth of the world’s drone market. “I expect the legal issue that impedes this program will be addressed by cooperative work between the industry and policymakers.” Among other things, the new bill requires operators of unmanned aircraft to have “passed an aeronautical knowledge and safety test” and maintain “an altitude of less than 400 feet above ground level.” There are also regulations on speed—not greater than 40 knots— maintaining a visual line of sight, and operating between sunrise and sunset. Now, Schulman says in a press statement that “DJI is pleased that the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 protects the rights of recreational drone pilots to fly safely and explore innovation in the skies, and welcomes the new electronic knowledge test requirement. DJI agrees that drone pilots should understand the rules for safe flight, and implemented its own mandatory knowledge test of FAA rules into its drone products a year ago. We look forward to working with the FAA on an official test that is user-friendly and focused on important safety principles.” Advertisement – Continue Reading Below The knowledge test is a big sticking point for proponents. In a statement, Representative Peter DeFazio, a Democrat from Oregon who handled much of the drone language, cited drone user who “have impeded wildfire suppression, including in my district this summer, and have put lives in danger through collisions or near-collisions with manned aircraft.” Such a test would, supporters say, decrease these chances, and closer regulation would make it easier to pin down violations. Not everyone is looking forward to the opportunity of new regulations. The Academy of Model Aeronautics strongly opposes the removal of Section 336. While calling the regulation of U.S airspace a “difficult task,” AMA interim Executive Director Chad Budreau says in an emailed statement that “it shouldn’t come at the expense of our community that has introduced no new risk into the airspace, yet will be saddled with new restrictions.” Arguing for a more a nuanced approach, those opposed to a complete removal of Section 336 point towards possible effects on young people. There are two ways for a young person to fly a model aircraft in the United States—under an FAA regulation known as Part 107, which mandates being older than 16. The other is 336, where the lack of regulation makes it easier for teenagers and children 15 and younger to fly for educational purposes. Budreau argues that “the bill will have a chilling effect on youth involvement in the hobby and stifle the benefits of employing model aviation in STEM education, ultimately hindering the efforts to attract youth into the aviation industry.” Drone sales have been rapidly rising as the technology becomes more prevalent. A study from the Consumer Technology Association estimated that 3.7 million personal drones are expected to be sold in 2018, a 20 percent increase over the previous years. They’ve already reshaped industries like ranching and firefighting, sometimes for better and sometimes for worse. Amid national crises concerning the Supreme Court, the FAA Reauthorization is likely not to get much attention as it moves through Congress. Passed by the House on September 26, the bill is expected to be passed by the Senate before the current authorization expires on September 30. Source: Bloomberg Powered by WPeMatico The post A Regulatory Overhaul Could Drastically Change Who Can Fly Drones in the US appeared first on PCStoreNearMe. via Technology Latest News – PCStoreNearMe https://ift.tt/2Ql0sHT An aviation bill Congress is rushing to approve contains a little-noticed section that would give authorities the power to track, intercept and destroy drones they consider a security threat, without needing a judge’s approval. Supporters say law enforcement needs this power to protect Americans from terrorists who are learning how to use drones as deadly weapons. They point to the Islamic State terrorist group’s use of bomb-carrying drones on battlefields in Iraq, and warn that terrorists could go after civilian targets in the United States. Critics say the provision would give the government unchecked power to decide when drones are a threat. They say the government could use its newfound power to restrict drone-camera news coverage of protests or controversial government facilities, such as the new detention centers for young migrants. The provision is tucked in a huge bill that provides $1.7 billion in disaster relief and authorizes programs of the Federal Aviation Administration, which regulates drones. The House approved the measure Wednesday by a 398-23 vote, and the Senate is expected pass it on to President Donald Trump’s desk in the coming days. The White House signaled support of the drone provision in July. Sen. Ron Johnson, a Wisconsin Republican, introduced the Preventing Emerging Threats Act this year. It would give the Homeland Security Department and the Justice Department power to develop and deploy a system to spot, track and shoot down drones, as unmanned aircraft are called. Officers would have the authority to hack a drone operator’s signal and take control of the device. The bill was never considered on its own by the full Senate or the House. Instead, in private negotiations that ended last weekend, it was tucked into a “must-pass” piece of FAA legislation. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen wrote in a recent op-ed that the threat of drone attacks “is outpacing our ability to respond.” She said criminals use drones to smuggle drugs across the border, but worse, terrorists like the Islamic State are deploying them on the battlefield. “We need to acknowledge that our first and last chance to stop a malicious drone might be during its final approach to a target,” she wrote. Attorney General Jeff Sessions said in a statement this week that the measure “would finally give federal law enforcement the authority we need to counter the use of drones by drug traffickers, terrorists and criminals.” The National Football League‘s top security executive recently endorsed the bill’s intent but said it should go further by letting trained local police officers intercept drones. The official, Cathy Lanier, a former Washington, D.C., police chief, said the NFL is alarmed by an increase in drone flyovers at stadiums. Opponents including the American Civil Liberties Union argue that the proposal gives the government unchecked power to track and seize drones without regard for the privacy and free-speech rights of legitimate drone operators. It exempts the government agencies from certain laws, including limits on wiretapping. The bill provides no oversight or means to question a government decision about what is a “credible threat” and what is an “asset” or “facility” in need of protection when drones are nearby. News organizations are increasingly using drones. They deploy them to cover natural disasters like the recent flooding from Hurricane Florence and also controversies such as the Trump administration’s construction of new camps for migrant children who were separated from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border. “Being able to see footage of protests, the size of protests, being able to see facilities like those at the border is useful — those are newsworthy events,” said India McKinney, a legislative analyst for the Electronic Frontier Foundation. Without a specific means to protect First Amendment rights — something not in the bill — “it’s entirely feasible to think that the DOJ or DHS could just decide that a drone owned by a news organization provides a credible threat and then destroys the footage,” she said. The National Press Photographers Association has joined in opposing the provision. “It will chill newsgathering using drones by news organizations and individual journalists,” said Mickey Osterreicher, lawyer for the press photographers group. ——-- David Koenig can be reached at http://twitter.com/airlinewriter Powered by WPeMatico The post Government may gain new power to track, shoot down drones appeared first on PCStoreNearMe. via Technology Latest News – PCStoreNearMe https://ift.tt/2NTzMkv |
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