Question
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Case Study
You've been asked by Mr. Howard to complete a few flights for the school to use as promotional materials. You will be using the Mavic Air which weighs 430 grams (.947lbs) to complete all flights. First, he wants you to get a flight over the empty football stadium while the football team is practicing - taking a lot of overhead video of the practice. Second, he wants you to take overhead video of the football stadium during a game to get crowd reaction and the teams as they play. Assume the Mavic Air can cause 10 ft-lbs of torque damage.
A) What category would the drone fall into?
B) Can you legally fly the first shot that Mr. Howard wants you to fly? Why or why not?
C) Can you legally fly the first shot that Mr. Howard wants you to fly? Why or why not?
Case Study
You've been asked by Mr. Howard to complete a few flights for the school to use as promotional materials. You will be using the Mavic Air which weighs 430 grams (.947lbs) to complete all flights. First, he wants you to get a flight over the empty football stadium while the football team is practicing - taking a lot of overhead video of the practice. Second, he wants you to take overhead video of the football stadium during a game to get crowd reaction and the teams as they play. Assume the Mavic Air can cause 10 ft-lbs of torque damage.
A) What category would the drone fall into?
B) Can you legally fly the first shot that Mr. Howard wants you to fly? Why or why not?
C) Can you legally fly the first shot that Mr. Howard wants you to fly? Why or why not?
Answers
GPT-4o mini
A) The Mavic Air drone, weighing 430 grams (approximately 0.947 lbs), falls into the "Weight Category" of drones that are classified as "Small Unmanned Aircraft" under FAA regulations. Specifically, it is classified under the Part 107 rules for commercial drone use, which cover drones that weigh less than 55 lbs (25 kg).
B) To legally fly the first shot that Mr. Howard wants (overhead footage of the football team practicing), certain conditions must be met. Under FAA Part 107 regulations, you cannot operate a drone over people not involved in the operation unless you have obtained a waiver. Since the football team is practicing, they would not be participating in the drone operation, which means flying over them could be a violation of FAA regulations. Therefore, you cannot legally fly the first shot without a waiver.
C) The question appears to be repeated, but it sounds like you're asking about flying during a game. Assuming that is the case: flying overhead during the game would also likely involve the same legal concerns. You cannot operate a drone over a crowd of people unless they are part of the operation, and again, since the crowd consists of fans and other non-participating individuals, it would likely require a waiver from the FAA to conduct the flight legally. Therefore, legally flying during the game would also not be permitted without such a waiver.
B) To legally fly the first shot that Mr. Howard wants (overhead footage of the football team practicing), certain conditions must be met. Under FAA Part 107 regulations, you cannot operate a drone over people not involved in the operation unless you have obtained a waiver. Since the football team is practicing, they would not be participating in the drone operation, which means flying over them could be a violation of FAA regulations. Therefore, you cannot legally fly the first shot without a waiver.
C) The question appears to be repeated, but it sounds like you're asking about flying during a game. Assuming that is the case: flying overhead during the game would also likely involve the same legal concerns. You cannot operate a drone over a crowd of people unless they are part of the operation, and again, since the crowd consists of fans and other non-participating individuals, it would likely require a waiver from the FAA to conduct the flight legally. Therefore, legally flying during the game would also not be permitted without such a waiver.