The FAA now requires registration and labeling of all outdoor drones (unmanned aircraft systems or UAS) by February 19, 2016. According to the FAA UAS Website, electronic registration is available for hobbyists, as defined by law, fro drones weighing less than 55 lbs. and paper registration must…
Attorney Shannon Brown filed official comments on the FAA’s proposed, drone aircraft (UAS) regulations and explanations. The FAA printed the Interpretation of the Special Rule for…
On June 23, 2014, the FAA issued a Federal Register Notice for the operation of model aircraft (drone) aircraft. The Notice repeats the long-standing rules regarding operating model aircraft and addresses the new rules mandated by Congress—ironically, Rules necessitated by…
Several national publications recently interviewed Attorney Shannon Brown about emerging technology-law topics such as drone aircraft and cloud computing. Kiplinger and PBS NewsHour interviewed Attorney Shannon Brown about drone aircraft and UAVs. Drones (unmanned aerial vehicles or unmanned aircraft) pose a number of risks to communities and individuals from…
Drone aircraft crashes and personal injury may no longer be speculation. In Australia, a triathlete was apparently struck by a drone aircraft after radio interference destabilized the drone. See, e.g., Australian triathlete injured after drone crash, BBCNews (Apr.7, 2014). Even military…
PBS NewsHour quoted Attorney Shannon Brown in a recent article discussing the commercial use of drones. The article addressed the March 6, 2014, NTSB administrative law decision, FAA v. Pirker. The controversial decision dismissed a $10,000 fine levied against a…
On 6 March 2014, in FAA v. Pirker, a NTSB Administrative Law Judge dismissed the first complaint brought by the FAA against the operator of a commercial drone for reckless operation of an aircraft. While some claim that this opinion means that the commercial drones are absolutely legal, serious…
Drone manufacturers and would-be manufacturers paint a picture of skies filled with drones—unmanned aircraft (and other machines). Media and advocacy groups cite First Amendment rights to the use of drones. Police seek drones despite prohibitions by federal and state constitutions. But, serious issues related to safety (what happens when…
Many vendors currently offer various types of drones. Increasingly, some use drones for commercial purposes. But, the FAA currently restricts the commercial use of drones. Put simply, persons wishing to use drones for commercial use must obtain an experimental airworthiness certificate from the FAA before deploying the drone.
Attorney Shannon Brown presented a continuing education program (CLE) for lawyers addressing emerging technologies issues such as drones, hacking, and just-in-time news reporting. The presentation was for the 21st Annual Media Lawyers Conference sponsored by the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association.
Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS—the current, official FAA designation), Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), or drones. All describe remote-controlled aerial vehicles of various configurations and various sizes. Current FAA regulations and FAA guidance prohibit the commercial use of UASs without a FAA Special Airworthiness Certificate–Experimental Category (SAC-EC). Considerable controversy surrounds the use of drones and privacy, financial liability, regulatory authority, and Constitutional issues remain.