Unfortunately; quite a few lawmakers seem to think they know more about how to regulate aviation than the FAA... and based on several recent actions, it appears that they may be in serious error.
The errant legislation would institute controls above and beyond, or in defiance of, those imposed by the FAA. The aerial know-it-all, this time, is a Republican Senator from Utah by the name of Mike Lee. The Senator is introducing a bill that would allow states, cities, and even Native American tribes, to take control over a significant part of US airspace while instituting new rules for drones. Most worrisome is the possibility that this would result in hundreds, if not thousands, of new rules, enacted by legal bodies that may have little or no aviation expertise and create a whole new level of chaos. Two Australians who had been imprisoned in Iran since July have been freed in what appears to be a prisoner swap. Mark Firkin and Jolie King, both from Perth, Australia, had been traveling from their home country to the U.K., and posting to a video blog along the way. One of the tools they used for their vlog was a drone, which they were accused of flying illegally near a military base as they traveled
across Iran. While the Australian government would not acknowledge there was an exchange of prisoners with Iran, the release of Firkin and King come at nearly the same time as the release of an Iranian doctoral student who had been held in a Brisbane jail and for whom the U.S. had sought extradition on suspicion of sanctions violations. The FCC has posted information about an application for a new DJI drone that industry watchers believe may be the next new product to be announced by the dronemaker. The communications agency posted a docket for what is being called the DJI Mavic Mini. There are few details about the aircraft, but rumors about the small drone first surfaced in August when DJI filed for a patent in China for the aircraft. Leaked images showed a small aircraft resembling both the DJI Spark and the Mavic Air. All this -- and MORE in today's episode of the AMA Drone Report!!!
AMA Drone Report 10.17.19 is chock full of info in this Weekly News Episode, Thursday, October 17th, 2019... Presented by Aero-TV veteran videographer and Airborne Hosts Sophie Hurlock, Brianne Cross, Christopher Odom, and Laura Hutson, and is supported by ANN CEO/Editor-In-Chief Jim Campbell, Chief Videographer Nathan Cremisino, and Aero-Journalist Tom Patton, this episode covers:
- Senator Seeks To Strip FAA of Regulatory Authority Over Drones
- Accused Drone Users Jailed In Iran Freed
- Details About DJI Mavic Mini Found In FCC Filing
- NBAA 2019 Webcast Schedule
- Ford Patents Drone To Be Deployed From Car's Trunk
- NATS Launches Online Drone Hobbyist Training Course
- Drone w/Thermal Camera Finds Lost Boy
- UK Store Stops Selling Drones Fearing Misuse
Get Comprehensive, Real-Time, 24/7 coverage of the latest aviation and aerospace stories anytime, at aero-news.net. And be sure to join us again next week for the next edition of "AMA Drone Report" here on Aero-TV. Thanks for watching. See you, again, tomorrow!
© 2019, Aero-News Network, Inc., ALL Rights Reserved.
ANN's Daily Aero-Term (12.19.25): Ultrahigh Frequency (UHF)
See All