How You Too Can Be Shut Down By the Feds For Flying Drones

An anonymous reader writes "University of Nebraska-Lincoln professor Matt Waite waived a government cease and desist letter recently received for his experiments using 3-pound, $500 drones for news reporting (specifically, for a story about drought in Nebraska). He gave journalism organizations the lowdown on what they can expect from the government on this front going forward and said he's posting his experience in trying to get certified by the FAA on GitHub so they can follow along."

Wrong

[girlintraining]

No, that's not what news organizations can expect. That's what people trying to report on actual events can expect.

The government selectively enforces rules like this. It has been for some time now. We have to keep you away from the raw and unadorned truth... it's dangerous to democracy you know. You will receive an edited and redacted version suitable for consumption within 3-5 business days. Thank you for your cooperation, Citizen.

I am a pilot...

[jgreen1024]

Nothing stops these UAVs from flying in the same airspace as planes carrying people - all it takes is a little software malfunction. They are small and hard to see, aren't in radio contact with air traffic controllers, and don't show up on radar. There's a reason the government is concerned about them, and I suspect it's not about supressing truth.

Re:Wrong

[geekoid]

No it enforces this rule pretty evenly across the board. I suspect in 5 years this won't be an issue becasue they will have proper regulation.

Drones are cheap. That means there will be a lot of them and we don't want a swarm of unregulated drones flying all about because it would be a hazard.

Re:Tin foil

[girlintraining]

Putting a guidance system on any kind of rocket is already a ten year federal charge. Same as possessing an unlicensed machine gun.

Yes, launching a rocket without any kind of guidance system is much safer for the general public. Government logic: Don't ask what it's being used for, just make it illegal.