Drone Pilot Settles With FAA Over Video Flight

http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/Drone-Pilot-Settles-With-FAA-Over-Video-Flight223441-1.html
A drone pilot who fought a $10,000 government fine for filming video with an
unmanned aircraft in 2011 has settled his case for $1,100 without admitting
guilt, Bloomberg reported
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2015-01-22/drone-pilot-who-fought-10-000-reckless-flight-fine-settles-case.htmlThursday.
Raphael Pirker, a Swiss citizen, flew a drone over the University of Virginia
in 2011 to make a promotional video. In court, he challenged the FAA's
authority to wield enforcement powers over drone flights. The FAA has yet to
come out with a proposal to regulate commercial drone operations, even though
the agency said it would have one by the end of 2014.

"We are pleased that the case ignited an important international conversation
about the civilian use of drones, the appropriate level of governmental
regulation concerning this new technology, and even spurred the regulators to
open new paths to the approval of certain commercial drone operations," Brendan
Schulman, Pirker's lawyer, told Bloomberg. The settlement comes after three
years of legal sparring. A judge last March ruled in Pirker's favor, saying the
FAA lacked enforcement power over small drones. The NTSB overturned that ruling
in November after finding U.S. aviation regulations did apply to Pirker's drone
flight.
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http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2015-01-22/drone-pilot-who-fought-10-000-reckless-flight-fine-settles-case.html

Drone Pilot Who Fought $10,000 Reckless-Flight Fine Settles Case
By Alan Levin Jan 22, 2015 2:12 PM PT 1 Comment Email Print

The drone pilot who challenged the U.S. government’s authority over unmanned
aircraft agreed to pay a reduced fine of $1,100 to settle his case.

Raphael Pirker, a Swiss citizen who flew a small unmanned plane without
government permission over the University of Virginia in 2011 to film a
promotional video, signed a settlement agreement this month while not admitting
guilt, his lawyer, Brendan Schulman, said Thursday in an e-mail.

The Federal Aviation Administration has struggled to keep up with the rising
popularity and accessibility of drones, including small copters costing less
than $1,000. Pirker, who had originally been fined $10,000, had challenged
whether the FAA even had the legal right to act as the drone police since no
explicit regulations had been issued regarding use of the unmanned aircraft by
civilians.

“We are pleased that the case ignited an important international conversation
about the civilian use of drones, the appropriate level of governmental
regulation concerning this new technology, and even spurred the regulators to
open new paths to the approval of certain commercial drone operations,”
Schulman said.

A judge hearing the case in March ruled in Pirker’s favor, saying the FAA had
no enforcement power over small unmanned aircraft. The National Transportation
Safety Board, which hears FAA legal appeals, overturned that ruling on Nov. 11
after finding U.S. aviation law did apply.

The FAA didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

An FAA proposal for regulating commercial drone flights was due by the end of
last year, though it has been delayed by internal government review.