UAV pilot wins case against FAA

A federal judge has ruled in favor of a pilot who was recently fined for using his UAV for commercial purposes. The National Transportation and Safety Board has dismissed the Federal Aviation Administration proposed $10,000 fine stating the FAA can not fine any one flying small commercial drones since they currently have no legally binding rules for this category of flying machines. The pilot who was using a 56 inch foam glider to take aerial video to use for advertising was fined in April of 2012 for a flight that had occurred in October of 2011.

In a recent article the FAA stated that there is no gray area when it comes to flying a UAV commercially, you must have some type of FAA approval. Though some pilots are using there UAV's commercially already, many are waiting for the the legality to become more clear. Some Blade 350QX pilots have been waiting to use their machine for aerial photography, with manufacturers like Blade even coming out with products like the Blade 350QX2 that include an aerial photography mode.

Congress had passed legislation in 2012 that directed the FAA to develop rules and regulations that would allow for drones to safely be integrated into the skies by 2015. But it currently appears that the FAA is behind schedule on the development of these rules and regulations. The FAA recently released a myth busting article to clarify the misconceptions surrounding UAV rules and regulations, but after the recent ruling it appears that the policy statement the FAA had issued may be unenforceable. The FAA is currently appealing the ruling.