If he can shoot down 4 more drones, that guy becomes an Ace. Woohoo!
Bloke sues dad who shot down his drone – and why it may decide who owns the skies
A lawsuit filed against a man who shot down his neighbor's drone might define for the first time who owns the skies in America. Back in June, 47-year-old William Merideth shot down the camera-carrying $1,800 quadrocopter with a shotgun while it was hovering over his house in Hillview, Kentucky, claiming that he feared it was …
COMMENTS
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Friday 8th January 2016 17:26 GMT sisk
It seems to me that the law is already quite clear on this subject. The FAA's authority begins at 400ft - confirmed over and over and over by legal precedence - and a property owners rights extend at least to 83ft based on existing precedence. Basically this guy has zero chance - short of a judge willing to discard existing precedence (which, given it came from SCOTUS, any judge likely to hear the case would be overstepping their authority to do) - of winning this case and getting the money to replace his drone.
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Friday 8th January 2016 20:19 GMT Fred Bauer
FAA enforedes airspace restrictions to ground level
The FAA *DOES* exercise authority below 500 ft, and over model aircraft. They have recently banned the operation of any model aircraft within 30 miles of Washington, DC, and have shut down AMA fields. They don't recognize 83 feet or anything else, if it's airborne they assert that they have authority over it.
http://amablog.modelaircraft.org/amagov/2015/12/30/ama-finding-a-solution-for-special-flight-rules-area-sfra-in-the-d-c-area/
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Saturday 9th January 2016 01:32 GMT sisk
Re: FAA enforedes airspace restrictions to ground level
Whether they choose to recognize the (well established) fact that they have no legal authority at all below 83 feet and only very questionable authority up to 400 feet is irrelevant. The courts have repeatedly ruled against them in such matters, as noted in the article.
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Saturday 9th January 2016 09:16 GMT Charles 9
Re: FAA enforedes airspace restrictions to ground level
They do. Their authority attaches to the aircraft, not the air. As long as it flies and is larger than, say, a foot in dimension, they FAA holds legal authority via various acts that define its authority. That's why FAA regulations apply to aircraft even when they're on the ground.
Where authority over the air comes in is that the FAA can regulate what can go into regulated airspace. So, for example, aircraft that can climb over 500 feet need to follow FAA rules regarding flight plans and so on, so as to reduce the risk of incursions and collisions. They don't have such controlling authority at lower altitudes, but they still have a say over the aircraft themselves.
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