UAV Pilot Will Pay $1,100, Admits No Wrongdoing

Facing a possibly lengthy court battle and a $10,000 fine, Raphael Pirker  has decided to settle his case with the FAA, but admits no wrongdoing for flying a UAV near the University of Virginia in 2011.

Pirker has agreed to pay a civil penalty of $1,100, according to a letter from the Department of Transportation. In a statement posted on his Team Black Sheep website, Pirker said "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.”

Pirker had been using his UAV to take pictures for the University, which the FAA said was a commercial use and in violation of its rules. Pirker had maintained all along that the rules were beyond the FAA's authority because it has not yet completed the formal rulemaking process.

In the settlement letter, the FAA lays out chapter and verse its complaints with Pirker, including flying his UAV through a tunnel tath "contained moving vehicles" and operating the aircraft within approximately 50 feet of numerous individuals and 20 feet of a street "containing numerous pedestrians and cars." For those reasons, and others, the FAA determined that Pirker "operated an aircraft in a careless or reckless manner so as to endanger the life or property of another."

The FAA also pointed out that Pirker "did not possess a Federal Aviation Administration pilot certificate."

Pirker's deadline for paying the $1,100 fine was Thursday. The letter states: "Respondent does not admit to any allegation of fact or law herein, and by not contesting this amended Order of Assessment is resolving the matter solely to avoid the expense of litigation."

FMI: FAA Letter