This week in class we discussed issues when operating drones in the public. Key topics included legal issues, ethical issues and technical issues addressed specifically for the following scenario:
You have finished your degree and are now a consultant for Acme Airborne Analysis Group. Your company has been asked to assess the impacts of using a quadrotor UAS to support We Sell Anything real estate’s marketing campaign for local lakefront property (high definition imagery). What are the legal, ethical, and technical challenges that you will face in trying to make this happen? Can it happen? Why/why not?
Legal
As per the FAA, the following is a list of items to take note of and abide by when flying a UAV.
• Operators must be 16 yrs. or older
• Fly at or below 400 feet and stay away from surrounding obstacles
• Keep your UAS within sight
• Never fly near other aircraft, especially near airports
• Never fly over groups of people
• Never fly over stadiums or sports events
• Never fly near emergency response efforts such as fires
• Never fly under the influence of drugs or alcohol
• Understand airspace restrictions and requirements
• Always avoid manned aircraft
• You must obtain a remote pilot certificate with a small UAS rating, or be under the direct supervision of a person who holds such a certificate.
• The maximum speed allowed is 100 mph (87 knots)
• If using First Person View (FPV), you must have a separate visual observer watching your aircraft with their unaided eyes at all times
• Neither you nor your visual observer can be responsible for more than one unmanned aircraft at a time
• You may only fly during daylight hours (30 minutes before official sunrise to 30 minutes after official sunset); if flying in twilight, you must have easily visible anti-collision lighting
• You cannot fly a small UAS over anyone who is not: directly participating in the operation, or under a covered structure, or inside a covered stationary vehicle.
For those only planning to fly a drone recreationally, no certification is required under Part 107 of the Federal Aviation Regulations, the Section 333 exemption, or any other kind of UAV certification (FAA, n.d.).Pilots just need to abide by standard safety guidelines as regulated per the FAA (listed above). Additionally, as of December 21, 2015, any drone weighing more than 0.55 lbs. / 250g must be registered with the FAA, even if only flying recreationally (FAA, n.d.). To operate commercially, however, where “commercial” describes any flight operation that can be tied to economic benefit, certification with the FAA is required. If hiring out for drone photography, it is wise to confirm that the vendor is properly certified. (Murphy, 2017).
Ethical
One ethical issue for most UAV use is privacy. So when realtors want to use UAV’s, I think the best thing to do to deal with the ethical issues of UAV’s is to be completely transparent with the customers, as well as any neighbors of the adjacent property. If the agents go in ahead of time and communicate to all who may be potentially involved and spell out in detail their goals and objectives, this will help to put the main ethical issues regarding marketing operations with UAS is privacy. The other big issue with UAV use is safety. Operating an unmanned aircraft has safety risks for those that may be in the vicinity of the operation. In the case of real estate videotaping, people on the ground, either doing yard work or riding their bike or washing their car in the driveway could be at risk of being injured if a UAV malfunction occurs while flying overhead.
Technical
Some technical questions to ask could be,
• FAA Certified? Does your firm have an FAA Part 107 UAV Operator’s Certificate in-hand? (Ask to see a copy).
• Liability Insurance: Does your firm carry at least $1mm+ in liability insurance coverage that specifically covers piloting a drone for real estate photography?
A person who operates a drone for any type of commercial purpose – which includes taking photos for a real estate listing – whether they are paid for it or not, must have a drone/UAV operator’s certificate from the FAA. You get that by passing a test issued by the FAA. A person who doesn’t have an FAA certification in-hand is breaking the law when they take aerial photos for you. Do not work with certified operators. You could be held liable if something goes wrong. For example, if the drone crashes through a window or injures someone. So check their papers.
References
Best Drone. (n.d.) Be safe and responsible. Retrieved from https://bestdroneforthejob.com/safety/
FAA. (n.d.) Fly under the small uas rule. Retrieved from https://www.faa.gov/uas/getting_started/part_107/
Murphy, B. (2017). Using drones in real estate. Ayporealestate.com. Retrieved from https://www.ayporealestate.com/blog/using-drones-in-real-estate
Nixon, A. (2017). Fly it, or buy it? The complete guide to using camera drones for real estate marketing.
You have finished your degree and are now a consultant for Acme Airborne Analysis Group. Your company has been asked to assess the impacts of using a quadrotor UAS to support We Sell Anything real estate’s marketing campaign for local lakefront property (high definition imagery). What are the legal, ethical, and technical challenges that you will face in trying to make this happen? Can it happen? Why/why not?
Legal
As per the FAA, the following is a list of items to take note of and abide by when flying a UAV.
• Operators must be 16 yrs. or older
• Fly at or below 400 feet and stay away from surrounding obstacles
• Keep your UAS within sight
• Never fly near other aircraft, especially near airports
• Never fly over groups of people
• Never fly over stadiums or sports events
• Never fly near emergency response efforts such as fires
• Never fly under the influence of drugs or alcohol
• Understand airspace restrictions and requirements
• Always avoid manned aircraft
• You must obtain a remote pilot certificate with a small UAS rating, or be under the direct supervision of a person who holds such a certificate.
• The maximum speed allowed is 100 mph (87 knots)
• If using First Person View (FPV), you must have a separate visual observer watching your aircraft with their unaided eyes at all times
• Neither you nor your visual observer can be responsible for more than one unmanned aircraft at a time
• You may only fly during daylight hours (30 minutes before official sunrise to 30 minutes after official sunset); if flying in twilight, you must have easily visible anti-collision lighting
• You cannot fly a small UAS over anyone who is not: directly participating in the operation, or under a covered structure, or inside a covered stationary vehicle.
For those only planning to fly a drone recreationally, no certification is required under Part 107 of the Federal Aviation Regulations, the Section 333 exemption, or any other kind of UAV certification (FAA, n.d.).Pilots just need to abide by standard safety guidelines as regulated per the FAA (listed above). Additionally, as of December 21, 2015, any drone weighing more than 0.55 lbs. / 250g must be registered with the FAA, even if only flying recreationally (FAA, n.d.). To operate commercially, however, where “commercial” describes any flight operation that can be tied to economic benefit, certification with the FAA is required. If hiring out for drone photography, it is wise to confirm that the vendor is properly certified. (Murphy, 2017).
Ethical
One ethical issue for most UAV use is privacy. So when realtors want to use UAV’s, I think the best thing to do to deal with the ethical issues of UAV’s is to be completely transparent with the customers, as well as any neighbors of the adjacent property. If the agents go in ahead of time and communicate to all who may be potentially involved and spell out in detail their goals and objectives, this will help to put the main ethical issues regarding marketing operations with UAS is privacy. The other big issue with UAV use is safety. Operating an unmanned aircraft has safety risks for those that may be in the vicinity of the operation. In the case of real estate videotaping, people on the ground, either doing yard work or riding their bike or washing their car in the driveway could be at risk of being injured if a UAV malfunction occurs while flying overhead.
Technical
Some technical questions to ask could be,
• FAA Certified? Does your firm have an FAA Part 107 UAV Operator’s Certificate in-hand? (Ask to see a copy).
• Liability Insurance: Does your firm carry at least $1mm+ in liability insurance coverage that specifically covers piloting a drone for real estate photography?
A person who operates a drone for any type of commercial purpose – which includes taking photos for a real estate listing – whether they are paid for it or not, must have a drone/UAV operator’s certificate from the FAA. You get that by passing a test issued by the FAA. A person who doesn’t have an FAA certification in-hand is breaking the law when they take aerial photos for you. Do not work with certified operators. You could be held liable if something goes wrong. For example, if the drone crashes through a window or injures someone. So check their papers.
References
Best Drone. (n.d.) Be safe and responsible. Retrieved from https://bestdroneforthejob.com/safety/
FAA. (n.d.) Fly under the small uas rule. Retrieved from https://www.faa.gov/uas/getting_started/part_107/
Murphy, B. (2017). Using drones in real estate. Ayporealestate.com. Retrieved from https://www.ayporealestate.com/blog/using-drones-in-real-estate
Nixon, A. (2017). Fly it, or buy it? The complete guide to using camera drones for real estate marketing.
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