A Review of Drone Regulations For Newer Owners

With all the new drones released in the market, and the ongoing surge of new drone owners, I think a review of regulations are in order. Sure, a drone may look like a toy, but do not kid yourself. It has power packed in its small frame. They have enough power to seriously harm a person around it, or in extreme conditions, can even take down a fully-sized plane. It can fly easily at a level only planes can reach. All while packing serious programming into its small body, capable of autonomy and other designed tasks.

Therefore, responsibility when flying a drone rests solely on its owner. All damage, injury, or disruption caused by a flying drone falls on its user. So before you receive fines and even jail time for a few minutes of flying, be sure to refresh yourself with the regulations. Recreational drones are fun, but they also require accountability.

Drone Rules and Regulations:

Different countries demand different regulations for recreational drones, so be sure to check your local area. Most regulations however focus on these:

1. Drones cannot fly higher than 400 feet in the air
2. Users cannot fly a drone 1 kilometer from an airport’s vicinity
3. Also in air spaces with high amounts of traffic
4. They can’t fly within enclosed spaces
5. Drones cannot go near or fly over a large crowd of people
6. Eye contact is a must the entire time the drone is in flight to ensure you have full control of the drone
7. Nighttime flying is a no-go for civilian-owned drones
8. In case of emergencies, drones cannot be in the area to ensure responders have a clear path (on the air)
9. Privacy concerns, especially when flying in residential areas, vary per country

Flying drones can be a fun experience. A flying machine with a camera can record all sorts of things that no other device can. But with every great piece of technology, limitations have to be set. Hundreds incidents in airports have been noted this year alone. These drones endanger the lives of people – both on the ground and those on the planes themselves.

So be a responsible owner, and make sure to consider the people around you before flying your drone. Having fun is not a problem, as long as nobody gets hurt in the process.