Autel new drones, NYC Drone Rules, and more

I'm trying something new. Each week I'm going to recap my favorite stories from the past week as well as our discussion during the weekly live stream. I'll fill in some of my opinions on the topics, throw an interview in here or there, and see where it goes from here. Hope you enjoy it.

New York City opening up to drone use

Since the product came on the scene, New York City has had a de facto ban on drones. The city law bans take-offs of aircraft that don't use approved locations by the Department of Transportation or the Port Authority. That definition pretty much means only heliports or airports, which are impractical for any film crew or recreational pilot to use.

However, thanks to several factors, including a lawsuit by a film production company and the need to use drones for building facade surveys, New York is "opening up" the ability for drone operators to receive flight permits. However, the permits won't be the easiest to get. No casual pilots will be getting the NYPD's stamp of approval. Here's what you'll need in the application:

Name and contact information

Description of purpose for the flight

Take-off date, time, and location

Flight plan details

Details of the drone you will be flying

FAA authorizations (licenses, waivers, registration, etc.)

Insurance policy

Data privacy and cybersecurity policies

Anything else the NYPD wants

Oh yeah, and this must be submitted 30 days before the "take-off." A hearing for the change in city law is scheduled for July 7. I guess we'll know more then. But is New York in the right for these sort of restrictions?

Well, yes and no in my opinoin. Are these laws constitutional? No idea. New York's law is very well worded. It does not ban the flight of aircraft in its city. It just prohibits you from taking off or landing them. The law would have to be directly challenged in court with a final ruling for the precedent to be set on how other cities can regulate drones.

Also, like do I need to get approval for every take-off or just once for the whole project? Cause if I'm filming a multi-day event, that's a lot of battery changes and is so unpredictable when you'll have to land and take-off again.

How much regulation is too much?

Here is where my mind is split on drone regulation. Can you blame NYC for wanting to keep drone flights to as few as possible? You can argue your right to fly or right to capture events with your cameras, but you have to look at it from both sides. There are some idiot drone pilots out there.

In a city of almost 9 million, maybe having strict drone laws is a good thing? Now who that comes from, I think, is easy to answer, the FAA. Constitutionally the FAA has the authority to regulate airspace, no one else.

I've said this often on our YouTube streams, and I'll say it again. In the right hands, drones can create beautiful things or save lives. But drones in the wrong hands can be very, very dangerous.

For us normie pilots out here that just want more places to fly, trust me, I'm with you, my city also has a similar ban to New York's, and the best bet is to continue to be good pilots. We should continue to follow the laws, be active in our community, and hopefully be good stewards that open local officials up to friendlier regulations.

Or we all run for office, take over the FAA from the inside, and create a new drone world order. I'm joking, I'm joking... ish.

Will Chinese bans force US innovation?

Let's talk about the hottest form of regulation going on in the US at the moment. There are several of these flying around, with plenty already in effect. Florida banned Chinese-made drones for its agencies earlier this year, and of course, there's the DoD's Blue UAS list.

There are more…