#Middlebury #RecreationalDrones
By MARJORIE NEEDHAM
Image by Lukas Bieri from Pixabay.
Recreational drone operators used to register their drones weighing more than 0.55 pounds at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) DroneZone website and then start flying them. That changed with passage of the 2018 FAA Reauthorization Act. Now operators of registered recreational drones are required to also pass The Recreational UAS Safety Test (TRUST) and present the certificate of completion to any FAA or law enforcement personnel who requests it.
FAA Safety Team Program Manager Rob Lenert explained recreational drones outnumber those used for commercial purposes, and the number of recreational flyers is growing. In September 2021, 518,805 recreational drones were registered. At that time, more than 93,000 had earned TRUST certificates, which were issued starting in June 2021. Learn more about recreational drone use at www.faa.gov/uas/recreational_flyers.
Lenert said he wants recreational drone operators to understand they are required to operate under TRUST, which will educate them. He said the three most important things operators must avoid are: operating a drone beyond visual line of sight, operating over people and operating more than 400 feet in the air. He noted the 400 feet is “above ground level” so if a drone is above a building 300 feet in the air, the drone may operate at up to 700 feet.
Residents in and around Middlebury also must be aware of Oxford Airport and where they are permitted to operate without venturing into the airport’s air space. Lenert said, “I get reports quite often – two or three a week – from pilots who see drones operating much higher than the allowed 400 feet.”
One pilot inbound at an airport reported having to avoid a drone flying at about 3,000 feet; another pilot on approach for landing at an airport saw a drone at 4,000 feet. Such sightings are reported to local law enforcement.
An app for recreational drone operators, B4UFLY, was developed by the FAA to help show on interactive maps where operators can and cannot fly. The mobile app provides situational awareness to recreational flyers and other drone users. Learn more at www.faa.gov/uas/getting_started/b4ufly.
Lenert said testing for the TRUST certificate is free and is structured as a learning experience with questions at the end. Safety information and rules are presented during the course and then the person is tested. If an operator answers a question incorrectly, the tester directs them to the information they need to answer correctly. The object, a September 2021 FAA information sheet says, “is to increase safety awareness, not punish non-compliance.”
Find an FAA-approved test administrator at www.faa.gov/uas/recreational_flyers/knowledge_test_updates#TAs. Boy Scouts of America is on the list.
Once an operator has a certificate, there is no required need to take more training, but operators are encouraged to pursue continuing education. There also is no minimum age for testing. A child aged 12 (or even younger) can test as long they are old enough to understand how to operate a drone safely. Lenert said one doesn’t have to prepare for the test because the test itself is a learning situation.
In contrast to recreational use operators, those who fly drones commercially must study and test for a drone pilot license. Lenert said even using a drone to take photos of a football game for the high school newspaper would be a commercial use and require a pilot license.
The FAA has developed drone regulations in part, Lenert said, because they saw drones will be a huge part of our future. Commercial drones are now being used for everything from crop dusting to surveying properties to inspecting bridges and towers. And the number of recreational drones continues to grow.
Lenert said if you see a drone operating over people or near an airport or see a drone with no operator in the vicinity, you should report it to local law enforcement officials.
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