On my state’s drone page, it says you can’t fly over cars or people. But I’ve seen videos of people doing exactly that in my state. If you’re filming a small town from a park, isn’t it kind of unavoidable to fly over cars or people?
Is this strictly enforced, or is it more of a guideline? I’m in Pennsylvania.
You’re not allowed to fly over moving vehicles or people unless you have a categorized drone or a waiver. Waivers are easier to get now, depending on your drone. Until then, you’ll need to plan your shots carefully to avoid flying over them. It takes some effort, but it’s doable.
You’ll learn about all these rules if you take the FAA Trust test online. If you get a Part 107 certification, it goes into even more detail.
I think you can cross a street but not hover. If someone knows better, please correct me.
Maris said:
I think you can cross a street but not hover. If someone knows better, please correct me.
You’re mistaken, respectfully. In all cases, you need a categorized drone.
Maris said:
I think you can cross a street but not hover. If someone knows better, please correct me.
If you don’t have a categorized drone or a waiver, you can cross a street as long as you’re not flying over people or moving vehicles.
This is a strict FAA rule, like how speed limits aren’t suggestions. That said, waivers are easier to get now.
You can hover over buildings or trees by pointing your camera straight down. Crossing a road is fine if there are no cars or people directly underneath. It’s like crossing the road yourself—look both ways first.
I’d recommend looking at some free prep materials for the Part 107 test. Also, if you’re flying recreationally, I hope you’ve done the TRUST quiz since it’s an FAA requirement.
I’ve written about this before, so I usually just share the post when it comes up:
Finn said:
I’ve written about this before, so I usually just share the post when it comes up:
https://www.reddit.com/r/drones/s/3wQmtqWHpt
This is a great write-up. Thanks for sharing.
If I’m just flying my drone around from my house, how are they even going to find me?
Luca said:
If I’m just flying my drone around from my house, how are they even going to find me?
Probably with another drone.
Just kidding. I’m not in the US, though, so I wouldn’t know for sure.
You can find videos of people doing other illegal things too. Sometimes those videos are used as evidence to charge them.
This is a good example of where rules don’t always match reality. On many maps, the airspace is Class G. In Class G, the rules are similar to airplanes, and they fly over people and cars all the time.
The problem is when states or counties write their own laws without properly marking the airspace. Often, these rules aren’t enforceable because they haven’t gone through the necessary process to reclassify the area. Sometimes they don’t bother because it’s expensive or unlikely to be approved.
For example, much of NYC is marked restricted, but a lot of it is actually Class G. Many people still fly there at night with smaller drones.
Here’s a video on the topic: https://youtu.be/bbHPJiQH9Cs?feature=shared
It’s not a suggestion. It’s a rule, and breaking it can lead to serious fines.
You can cross over people or traffic as long as it’s just for a moment and not the main purpose of your flight. For example, if you’re filming a car race, you can’t claim it’s ‘transitory’ since you’re intentionally flying over them.
If you have a Part 107 certification, you can apply for a waiver by showing the FAA that your flight won’t pose a risk.
@Val
That’s not right. Both crossing and hovering are considered flying over people and require a categorized drone.