No flying in this video - it's one of my occasional rants - pure opinion so if strong opinions offend, give this video a miss.
Please read this story on wired.com:
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It details how and why Raphael Pirker (AKA Trappy) of Team Blacksheep has been fined $10,000 by the US airspace administrator, the FAA
Another article by sUAS News gives more information about the exact charges involved:
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Well I'm not impressed with the way that airspace administrators around the world are dealing with the issues surrounding FPV models and the use of RC model aircraft for earning a penny or two and effectively treat a 2oz Walkera Ladybird with FPV onboard just as if it were a fire-breathing Preadator drone.
In theory, every single person who posts a video of their flying to YouTube and monetizes that vide is in violation of these policies and exposes themselves to prosecution because -- when you fly an RC model for financial reward, it loses its RC model status and becomes an Unmanned Aerial System (UAS), just like a predator drone.
Now read this article by the Australian ABC and see how that country plans to stratify its rules regarding "UAS" based on their weight and the level of danger they may represent to person and property:
In that article, John McCormick of CASA is quoted as saying "I can't write a regulation I know I can't enforce -- I can. But it's bad law." Too bad other airspace administrators don't have the same pragmatic and sensible perspectives on this issue.
Trappy's YouTube channe: