Citing threats regarding to aviation safety, security, privacy and terrorism, the FAA in the US chalks down guidelines for those who want to fly model aircrafts, helicopters and quadcopters in the country.
According to a report on the BBC, the FAA has laid down some guidelines to make model aircrafts safer. David Schneider of the IEEE Spectrum said that quadcopters would now require permits to fly too. The model aircrafts should adhere to a set of rules and conditions. The aircraft model should be visible at all times, and without any need for an enhancing device. The craft should be visible without binoculars, night-vision goggles, powered vision magnifiers and first-person view goggles. In short, the aircraft should be at a low altitude and visible with the naked eye at all times.
The guidelines also state that model aircrafts should be flown only for recreational and non-commercial purposes. Also the model aircraft owners can click pictures of their own house, provided they don’t use the pictures for advertisements and sale of the house.
Additionally, the guidelines also state that the model aircraft should not weigh more than 55lb (approximately 25 Kg) and should not fly within 5 miles (8 Km) of an airport. If flown nearby, then the ATC should be notified about the flight.
