How the FAA is Catching Drone Pilots 

Wouldn't it be awesome if our governments actually went after real crime?

They can have my drone when they pry the controller from my cold, ungloved hands.

107.23 -- well there goes RC combat at the local flying field and in theory, every crash of an RC model plane constitutes a violation and risks civil fines eh? And who says the hobby is not under threat. Who learns to fly RC without ever crashing?

I think you did not make much of any effort to explain HOW the FAA would catch someone if there were no crash or incident. Someone flies illegally, but nothing goes wrong - How would the FAA catch you?!????

Folks here in the U.S.A. place a high value on personal privacy and personal space. Media hype serves to inflame the already suspicious mind that unscrupulous motives are behind every flight mission. I try to reduce the tension by including my few neighbors in the activity and educating them while having fun. Once they understand how much knowledge and certification is involved, they relax a bit. Trust is established and suspicions are calmed! Fly right, fly legal! Thanks for a great informative podcast. My first view.

When a fine is imposed when there was no victim, the purpose is to generate revenue.

Its amazing we have thosends of illagal alins riding around on motorcycle and scooters on sidewalks and going against traffic with no plates and they cause in just nyc over 250 accidents a year and they walk free

One stat that would be interesting would be the Public complaints compared to actual violations detected and how many investigations resulted in no action being taken or Warnings issued without fines

A very interesting exposition - the take-away is 'don't be stupid' - Canada has an interesting Regulation, 900.06, which is the only one applying to sub 250g drones. It deals with careless and reckless operation and basically boils down to ' don't be stupid'.

Honestly as a Business owner who flies these drones every day I feel like the fines are a little excessive. But if you took your part 107 test and passed you should be very informed about all of these rules and you should abide by them

This was hella informative. We see nearly all violations are from after the fact crashes and the majority people fined are non-Part 107 certified. Learn your charts, folks. Don't fly BVLOS "It won't happen to me" Wind shear near a tall building took my drone behind the radio shadow. My drone loitered but then initiated RTH But the building was in line with the home point and just above my set RTH level of 300 ft. As luck would have it I was flying my Autel EVO II and it's optical avoidance system guided the drone 60 ft off course to avoid an antenna farm on the roof. The drone regained signal after a full minute and flew back directly but it could have just as well flew into a window and cracked it. It can happen just that fast.

Seventy in one year compared to the amount of drones in the U.S. doesn't seem that high. Of course I'm thinking most of these cases were "caught" fairly easily since the FAA doesn't have a large number of investigators patrolling neighborhoods. Overall, I appreciate the work you've done in our communities information cycle on the FAA. Hope to see you on TNL soon.

Why was all of our rc plane flying for 40 years not a problem? We had cameras on planes that weighed up to 50 pounds, had gas engines and could fly through the clouds. All of a sudden small light toy drones are super dangerous. Makes no sense unless you are the one collecting all the fines. I still think this is all about large companies willing to pay big bucks for hobbiest air space which we had first.

In the US we have a "Karen" that is strategically placed every few miles to call the FAA and report a 'violation' no matter if the truly is a violation or not. Drones are known to irritate and trigger all Karens. Interesting to not that all the crashes involving people never amounted to a single injury. With the litigious nature of the US you would figure that someone would have sued the drone pilot for mental distress. 😄

I was reported for flights in a video I made public on RU-vid. I received a letter from the FAA saying that they found “insufficient evidence “ that I broke any laws. I understand not telling me who reported me, but not telling me what I was accused of seemed weird and unfair.

Great information is always sean. I really appreciate you sharing things like this a lot of us would never see things or hear things that go on behind the scenes without this type of reporting

Book em Danno, we have a pilot that is doing everything legally as a hobbyist except someone just benefitted from the drone and now it's a safety issue. No one benefits, then it's not a safety issue and no license is needed. Makes perfect sense.

I could care less about anything FAA related....when starting out I was scared of everything FAA...now it doesn't matter one bit...as long as you stay respectful and don't piss anyone off nothing bad will ever happen to you.

Interesting - I think the way I fly and where I fly keeps me clear of the FAA - thx for the info. Loving that class G airspace out here in the sticks.

When you learn what Liberty actually is, how it works, and its rules and principles (operating internally in every person)-then-you begin to understand tyranny in action. The TOP 10 of the listed "violations" are almost completely bereft of any actual harm or even threat (serious or mild). Also-the fines are so over-the-top that it begs a question: Is the FAA using excessive fines to fund their drone operations? Is this just another form of fines-as-taxation? (yeah-I think it is). The violations of government tyranny against the Liberty of people is stunning. This video simply highlights that fact and reality.

I hope the FAA updates the BVLOS rules, especially for sub 250 gram drones. With modern return-to-home technology, it is very safe.

Very informative, especially as quite often things tend to filter down to us from the USA! However, the simplest way to not be concerned with prosecution is to follow the rules and keep things as professional as possible! 👍

"Civil Fines". Civil law requires some form of contract or damages. If I received a letter of proposed fines from the FAA, I would respond immediately with a certified letter (requiring a signature receipt) telling them to produce the contract I am a party to, or produce a victim who had suffered damages. Assert in the letter that I owe the FAA nothing. Also stipulate that if I haven't received a reply in 30 days I will consider the matter dropped. This will give me the best standing in court, and give my attorney a platform to work from. Also, I don't register my drones, because a regulation is not a law. That being said, you should do what you feel is best.

My question is what are they hiding ? I spent 50 years building little flying things, biplanes, fighter planes , jets, and dragons . Then quads came about, and with them , the end of local flying ...no fly zones around airports closed flying, then the FAA counts a lone closed airport , a WTF moment . So all I ha e built and the money invested in equipment is a loss, wonder if it is deductible? ?

All current C-UAS systems focus almost solely on DJI. Drones flying alternate RF and telemetry systems are not prioritized. Defunct systems (72MHz and other frequencies) aren’t scanned. NoLimitDrones sells replacement firmware to de-DJI a DJI drone. Good luck FAA!

I am so proud of you, look how amazing your channel is!

Drone2theBone Let's talk about how the FAA is violating our First Amendment right to free speech and freedom of the press when it involves RU-vid. It's not free speech if we have to pay a $175 fee to the government and pass their rigorous knowledge test for their permission to publish our own original work. They don't care if you fly without a commercial license or if you shoot drone photography without a commercial license. It's not the flying or photography that they object to, it's the publishing that they object to. The FAA says that posting our original and creative work to a non-monetized channel indicates an intent to make money from flying. That assertion assumes evidence not yet available and is nothing more than conjecture. There are many recreational pilots who don't want or need money (such as myself) but who just want to share their videos. But the FAA doesn't care about that and they will fine you for doing so. That's what I call preemptive punishment for a non existent crime. If they want to punish people for making money with a drone, then they should wait until money is made before punishing anyone. RU-vid will never monetize a channel that contains content of drug use or guns, it's against their stated policies. So if your drone videos contain any footage of people using guns or drugs, including alcohol which is a dangerous and addictive drug, just include a disclaimer and some footage of someone shooting a gun (but not at a drone!), drinking a beer or smoking a joint (but not before or during flying!) and your channel will never be monetized. That eliminates any nonsense about your "intent." The FAA's glaring hypocrisy is evident by the fact that while drones are shot at frequently, they have to date only prosecuted one case of drone shooting that I am aware of. Fly on and be free! Power to the people!

I have a hobbyists certificate and have been told by a local FAA employee that they have teems of people searching for hobbyists making money. Your not even allowed to use your drone to look at the neighbors gutters for a plate of cookies. Exact words.

I thought you were going to go a little bit further with the information but I appreciate you posting this video. I think the takeaway here is don't crash and don't be seen!

Thanks for sharing. Basically be aware, follow the rules or don’t get caught. Since we are relying the technology (which could fail) and the likelihood of human error, don’t take unnecessary risks.

Lots of information on the types of violations, but nothing having to do with the title of your video. How were these pilots actually caught? I would love to see a breakdown on that.

How the heck is crashing your drone in a field a freaking chargeable offense to the faa. So what a new pilot crashs the drone while trying to fly and the faa just pops out and is like you owe us 1200 dollars now.

I often wonder whatever happened to that large Estes rocket I fired off years ago where the chute didn't deploy. I'm thinking someone found it embedded in their roof... heh.

So moral of the story is buy off the shelf, parts and sand off serial numbers.

Thank you for the update. Bad drone pilots give us who do follow the rules a bad name.

Seems kinda goofy that you need to adhere to all sorts of licensing and regulation to fly a 30-40 gram tiny whoop at the park or record video when anyone can go down to a box store and buy a much larger kite and fly those without anyone batting an eye.

They're mostly just toys that many people enjoy flying as a hobby, a hobby that nobody learns or participates in without crashing, and until the death-toll equals one 10th of one commercial aircraft disaster, which will never happen, I would ignore ridiculous regulations, happy flying!

I am not sure you answered the question you proposed "How is the FAA finding out..."? If I am flying my drone and I crash into a field in the woods, can the FAA find out? Well, not unless someone on that property sees the drone go down. Or, suppose I lost my drone in the woods. It has the FAA ID number on it. Would I be in violation because someone finds my drone and turns it in to the FAA? After all, I wouldn't lose a drone intentionally, but technically, it could be assumed I lost control of the drone, otherwise, why would it be lost in the woods and recovered by someone else maybe days later?

What happened to the person in Detroit who had what would many say was a near miss when the US Navy Blue Angels overflew Detroit in formation? It was well documented but never heard what became of it.

Thank you, Sean! This is great information!

The FAA looks at youtube videos basically. Sends letters to those that are not doing it right as a warning or fine or informing them of eminent prosecution.

Very educational and an informal video thanks buddy I enjoyed it !

As a returning drone pilot (last flew Mavic Pro 1 in 2017) I am trying to make sense of all these new and absurd regs. Regarding this video, I still cannot figure if any of this part 107 stuff you are referencing applies to recreational only pilots? Like flying over people for example. Does that only mean large groups of people, or the happenstance that I might accidentally fly over (in the course of just flying around under part 44809) somebody obscured behind a stand of trees walking their dog, etc. and they call it in and my Remote ID sells me out to the FAA, etc.

Use a mini or mini 2 and no worries unless you're in a restricted area.

it is also important to understand that in the loss of control - 107.23.. they can in hitting a bridge, use the cost of the drone itself as part of the damage factoring.

Can't believe anyone even bothers trying to follow these silly rules!

I sold my DJI Mavic Pro over a year ago and thinking about buying a new drone. Your video was very useful.

Get your TRUST CERTIFICATE PEOPLE!!! takes about 30 minutes online...

I’m actually wondering how the supreme court’s ruling on chevron will play into this situation as congress must pass laws on things and agencies like the FAA are no longer allowed to to do that

Thank you for your useful feedback on this critical issue.

I think they're trying to make way for the delivery drones, I could be wrong

Maybe I missed it but you didn't answer "how" they are being caught. The subject of the video.

How many fatalities were caused by amateur drones and general radio control flights??? (NONE in the past ten years!!)

Interested in this as going to the usa next year. Have taken their '' trust exam ''

74 gear really shows me how the FAA made flying no fun. All that flying under so much control.

can't catch me. I call my lawyer before each take off. lawyer calls FAA and goes through various maps and community guide lines. then I too call FAA to confirm. then I call FAA again to confirm the confirmation. then I... take off.

Not surprised by the number of actual of violations/penalties given the number of drones flying. My experience with the FAA in PART 91/135 issues I've heard about over the years has been the FAA will often "forgive a "MINOR" and/or "Unintentional" violation but will come down hard on intentional conduct or "non-cooperative" individuals. "Conpliance attitude" is one of the parameters they use when evaluating the penalty.

I was just flying with out registration. I didnt know we had to register again. They said we did then didnt now we do. I was flying since 2021 without reg.

Power in the people! We have to get involved.

NYC is definitely in the Northeast Corridor of the United States. We are getting local reports of people being questioned whether they have taken the trust test. And one or two people have been approached VIA mail or in person about certain flights

the penalties for Flying a drone illegally are worse then breaking and entering.

IIRC the flying over people has been recently relaxed, I recently got my 107 and I clearly remember something to that effect. I guess I need to go back and check the exact wording.

So Registering your drone is self incrimination- protected by the constitution!? By registering and tagging your drone, you are providing information incriminating yourself!

I would be curious to know explicitly -- were the reduced fines part of plea bargain arrangement?

Good luck ... I fall for nothing but stand for something!

This is why I stick with a basic large scale RC helicopter with a camera system mounted on it and not something that leaves gps traces. Never been told to stop flying and no registration numbers or flying data to capture.

Lesson learned: Don’t crash

So, who's watching Buffy and Jody while this guy is making drone videos????

Thanks for this. I have a couple small drones and trying to familiarize myself with all legal aspects before flying. Seriously, I am afraid to even fly outside my yard. And in our rural area, even flying it towards the neighbors I can imagine their shotguns coming out! Though I know it is illegal to threaten any aircraft, do they know that?

So other than crashing the drone and others picking it up and filing the registration number in the report, HOW are they catching the people?

Sean, EXCELLENT presentation and exactly what I needed to know! Thank you for this extremely important and guiding reference (and I just subscribed to your channel)!!!

Is this when you remind the FAA of chevron deference ?

$182k must be Philly Drone Life

I still would like to know how they are catching these people. Crashes are obvious.

I can definitely see violation due to not having the Part 107 certificate. I'm sure many people are lazy to not study for it and think they won't get caught or just don't understand the magnitude of how serious this is.

Unique and excellent video! Very interesting. Just subscribed !

I would think the FAA/LEOs would still need RAS for you to show anything just flying a drone is not illegal

It might be a hassle to get a permit, but it's clearly worth it. The real question this begs is, why hasn't the FAA done it's due diligence in educating the general public on drone safety? Apparently, they have time to propose fines in the mail and create the regulations, but why don't they have time to make a simple PSA and pass it around all the state government safety offices like our states' Department of Public Safety where people sit in lobbies waiting for service to get their driver's license with the lobby's TV droning on about the weather and such? That wouldn't be outside of their budget and abilities. They receive a portion of the federal fuel taxes collected from aviation fuels, registration and certification fees, and fines, so I don't see why they can't educate the general public about the laws they make. You can't just create obscure regulations in some office in Washington, stay utterly silent on the topic, and then expect the world to conform to your new laws. Drones are affordable more popular than ever before. They are failing in their fundamental duty as a federal administration whose sole purpose is to regulate the safety of air travel for the sake of the public.

I think 10 operating in airspace will go way up when remote ID is implemented and network id is put up near airports to monitor the airspace.

So do you need a license as a recreational drone owner or not? I hear its over 249 or only for commercial etc.. I wish this was very specific instead of all over the place.

I find it strange that there is no apparent distinction about the "loss of control" issue. Let's assume you are a Part 107 pilot, had LAANC authorization, for a commercial job. Then *the DJI Go 4 app crashes* (as it happens worldwide for some buggy reason) *multiple times back to back and you always restart the app, but after the last app crash, the signal is lost* and you can't recover the signal and control over your drone and it crashes without damage. It seem to me that, according to Jonathan, despite this being a technical issue of malfunctioning manufacturers software, the RPIC is legally and financially liable for FAA enforcements. Seems pretty harsh to me, or did I miss something?

How do they know who was flying what drone? Dose the dji app tell the f.a.a, f.c.c. hey Mr.? Was flying in that area/ grid, air space, how do they know the owner of the drone, someone please let me know

You didn’t say how the FAA is catching you only if they had the physical drone when you take that thing up in the air do they get a signal that you’re flying?

My problem is loss of control. Compare this to how the FAA would handle a single engine airplane pilot. There are many crashes due to mechanical failure whereby the pilot is not charged with a violation from the FAA. It is not hard to imagine a drone experiencing mechanical failure and therefore loss of control. Seems like the FAA is going too far. I am also interested if drone and RC plane is the same thing under these regulations?

Any time I request to fly in airspace my request I never even acknowledged. So its automatically denied after about 4 or 5 days

I believe if you are an experienced drone pilot and know the rules and regulations you should not have to get a part 107 license to fly for profit. It's like buying a lawn mower and the store ask you if you are going to mow your own grass or mow for a living.

It is interesting how drone pilots are surprised about how the FAA while fixed wing pilots are used to it.

I know I don’t have to but my 3.5in drones Hoover around 249g so I register them. A crash in dirt could put them over

I didn't hear anything about how they are finding out. FAA isn't law enforcement and I'm sure the few inspectors don't have the time to chase down every guy with a transmitter and quiz him. I think the answer to how they are finding out is you did something unintelligent and irresponsible that brought attention, (crashed into a person or moving vehicles on a highway). Maybe you posted a video thinking you were cool and basically told on yourself with evidence of lawbreaking.

lol, if I see a drone over my property, it's gone! I don't care about other places, but if it were to come close to my person anywhere else, same result.

Too many come up tell you that you cant fly where you ate, its illegal, they call the police, the cops show up arrest you and confiscate your drone, even though everything was legal.

Did you mention HOW the faa is learning about violations?

So if you’re a new drone owner take apart your drone and remove all serial numbers before you fly it

Big government destroyed a fun creative hobby. I was at one time wanting to get into drones but never mind it’s not worth the hassle. It’s not about safety it’s about big government control ,strict regulations and big money in fines. How can a plastic drone damage a bridge made of concrete and steel ?

The more you know 👍 Thank you Sean

The new remote ID requirements in the US will make it much easier for them to catch illegal flights.

You mentioned that the Fort Worth office is at the bottom "for obvious reasons". It's not obvious to me, please help me understand. I'm a Dallas person

With remote ID we will see a bunch more of these cases and I think they will be much more substantial. Remote I D records all flights of drones currently with remote ID. new DJI drones are a big one. The data recorded is altitude, speed, course flown and location of the radio controller. This info is logged and can be retrieved in arrears so if you get caught they can pull all your flights and see how many violations you have done over time. Fly like you are being watched and recorded because you are.

So if I fly my drone in a public park and fly over someone, it's against FAA regulations or is that only for professional/commercial drone use?

This video is very concerning. I would def be considered very new to drone hobby. But I can see myself really “taking off” with this. But this video concerns me. My drones are always sun 249gram as like this video shows. Seems if I ever go higher I will be grounded for something missed. As I feel no matter what precautions I learn and know. There will be ten more I do not know. I am 52 and disabled vet looking for something to have fun and pass time. My hope was this would do it. I first got into RC cars such as the Sledge, Stampede and Bandit. But I found the constant walking to them when I roll or crash them being hard to do as my disability affects my breathing so I wear out easy. Then came Drones. I have a simple in house toy drone to first get a feel. Then moved to Dji Se 2, PotensicPro 2 and now I just got a week ago the DJI pro 3 with front and bottom avoidance sensors. I wish I had gotten the pro 4 but funds just didn’t allow it. I live in the northeast. And in a fly with caution area. I stay under the 400 ceiling but in doing pan and scans of my home town at height then push the return home and come home at height. If even that is wrong. I fine like I see in the video concerns me that I will need to just stay grounded. Limited to my back yard or garden area. I was told I did not have the laws regarding flying over people with a sub 249g drone but now I am just to worried to pursue the hobby any longer if it’s just going to cost me more then I get in a year of disability. I also make model rockets as that was a hobby I knew well as a kid and adult and seemed a logical leap to drones. I know I am just rambling as I wonder if I should just sell them off and seek some other hobby. Maybe it’s safe to color pictures with crayons on my kitchen table without worry the faa or some other government agency will fine me.