Drones are seen more and more in the skies around us. From tiny personal ones to really professional models with high-quality cameras, drones are becoming very popular in the private and public sectors. I love watching videos from drone operators, and there are several in the Greater Binghamton area who do an amazing job showcasing our communities from the sky.

At our group of radio stations, we have a professional model as well. But, no one knows how to fly it, and our fear is that we'd probably crash the thing on its maiden flight, and that wouldn't go over well with our boss, especially since it's not cheap to repair or replace.

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I have family and friends who own various types of drones, and some are definitely ones that need to abide by Federal Aviation Administration rules. If you ever wondered what some of those rules are, or own or plan to own a drone in the future, here are some things I found that you need to be aware of according to the UAV Coach website.

It Must Be Registered

First, no matter if that drone is for work or personal fun, you need to register it with the Federal Aviation Administration DroneZone website. They also require that owners take a Recreational UAS Safety Test. 


Recreational vs. Professional

If you are flying a drone for recreation, you can't use you're done for work. You are licensed for recreation only. Drone owners must fly within a visual line of sight and obey safety guidelines.

For the most part, a recreational drone needs to be less than 55 pounds, and never fly near any aircraft or near emergency response situations. Recreational drone flying is for Glass G airspace. UAV Coach states that drone owners will need to apply for airspace authorization to fly in Class B, C, D, and E controlled airspace. Here is a good explainer of what exactly Class G airspace is.

Flying quadrocopter, remote controlled drone with camera

There are more specific laws concerning flying a drone in New York State, both for recreational for work purposes, Find all the details here, and have fun.

UAV Coach, Federal Aviation Administration

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