Yep! Bottom line is mitigating risk. Fortunately, drones in general, have good track records with regards to minimal injuries to people, and 107 pilots are fairly conscientious people who carry a degree of responsibility and brains. Good luck everyone!
Well I am sure I will change that. I am a jinx…and a good one. VTI Phoenix drone #1 went airborne as I was wanting. It must have loved the fresh air cause it never came home. Should be entering the moons orbit by Christmas. VTI Phoenix #2 was at a truck stop. I kept it 5-10 feet in the air. Wanted to see how accurate the RTH function was. It went up about 15-20 feet and slammed into the pavement. Then it went crazy skimmed along the ground bumped into a truck and went airborne and I never found it. Now have VTI Phoenix #3. Put a strobe on it hoping it makes it easier to find in the dark. I realized a small dent in a propeller can easily affect its behavior. Slowly getting better. Just bought a DJI FPV it is staying in the box for now because it cost me close to $1100. But I am hooked on drones. Fun to fly. If you or anyone has any tips for a new “pilot” give them to me. I use that term “pilot” loosely.😳
I fully support the prohibition on flying over people (though it's certainly a bit vague), and practicing drone safety, but I think it's noteworthy how few significant injuries have been suffered as drones have proliferated. I haven't updated my research but, the last time I checked, no American had ever been seriously injured by a hobby drone. Lots of superficial lacerations, but nothing that would be considered "serious" from a medical standpoint. That's especially significant when you compare the data to something like personal watercraft (another hobby vehicle) which kill many people every year.
I have a Mini and a Mini 2. I once was messing around and had my drone about 40' away from me. It was in sport mode and it was facing me and I floored it. It comes right at me, I let go of the sticks when it was about 5' out and BAMM...right into me(and it still flew). I got cut. I felt a sting and was not expecting blood but I was wrong. A good 1" slice, not that deep, but I bled. I am a Part 107 pilot and a Private Pilot(not current for many years). I listened to more of your video and in my opinion the FAA is making it rough on drone manufacturers. They need to give them a chance to make something safe to fly sustained over people. I'm thinking 300 grams including the prop guards.I''m looking to fly my drone for wedding coverage since I am a wedding photographer for many many years.This video is excellent for me. I subscribed.
Fantastic video! For what it's worth: the mini-2 definitely can cause lacerations. I learned that the hard way practicing hand landings... and I have the video to prove it.
Regarding lacerations, These props can do serious damage. On one of my first flights I had to stick my hand out to prevent being hit in the head with my MA2 because of my inexperience. Three Quick, Clean and at least 1/8" deep slices in my right pinky that bled like mad. A compression wrap stopped the Bleeding and with a tight bandage healed with very fine scars, although some nerve damage lingers. I cringe thinking about what would happen if one would strike someones face or eye.
I am an electrical engineer and I question the interpretation of the FAA and the means in which you are testing if the propellers cause lacerations. The FAA bring forth two measurements within their guidelines; 1) is propellers rotation ability to cause lacerations and 2) kinetic energy of the drone's movement. The means in which you tested if the propellers would cause lacerations was measuring both the propellers ability to cause lacerations AND at the same time the kinetic energy of the drone. As your testing demonstrated most of the attempts the propeller's rotation did not cause lacerations, which suggests if you would have only tested if the propellers themselves would cause lacerations separate from kinetic energy, there is likely a different result. I suggest redoing your test but only test one measurement at a time; 1) propellers rotation ability to cause lacerations without the drone moving with kinetic energy and 2) seperate kinetic energy tests.
There are several sets of requirements that must be met for certain drones in the regulation. One for lacerations, one for KE (amongst others). In this video, we wanted to test category 1 drones, which don't have a KE requirement, only a laceration, which is why we performed the test the way we did.
Back in the day I had a 350qx blade quadcopter. Put carbon fiber blades on it. Tried catching it by hand. I got 16 stitches that day. It looked like a murder happened.
Thanks for an excellent and informative video. I'm a little confused with what happened to the 30 metre spacing rule when flying over people or vehicles. While it's great news for commercial drone pilots, I'm very apprehensive about it all. As a recreational RC model airplane enthusiast I won't be allowed to fly my light electric foam aircraft at the local park without remote ID because of chance of collision due to increased commercial drone traffic. Unfortunately the FAA largely ignored hobbyists concerns in the recent public submissions (remote ID) and have future legislated costs and restrictions to the very people who contribute to the advancement of the drone industry. It feels like a slap in the face.
There is an interesting space that isn't covered here. That is "incidental" flight over a person or persons but not really a gathering. Specifically, I am talking about drones that are not in any category. Here are a few examples: 1. You are taking photos of a property for real-estate. You are keeping the drone over the property but a passerby walks onto the property, under the drone, to ask you what you are doing. It is not intentional or desirable but the drone is still operated over a person for a short period of time. 2. You are flying the drone in a park, taking some photos. You surveyed the area to confirm nobody was around but, while you are conducting your flight, a couple comes walking down a path, right under your drone. Again, it was not intentional or even desirable but the drone was still operated over people. 3. Someone hates the sound of drones and knows the rules about flying over people. They see you flying, sneak out underneath it, take a photo of the drone over them and report you to the FAA. Have you seen any guidance on these kinds of scenarios? (If we can't get guidance on this, drones are almost going to become impossible to fly because there is no way you can 100% guarantee no person would ever be overflown.)
Hi, for your first example, it's not covered under the regulation because it is the pilot in command responsibility to ensure that no one flies under the drone, by securing the area or using visual observers. Technically, even if for a short period of time, it would be considered flying over people. For 2, same situation. You need spatial awareness and need to do what it takes to stay away from people. For 3, they would need a lot more information to report you to the FAA. Unlikely scenario, especially if you put in place the tips from the previous answers.
@@PilotInstitute Thank you for the response. What you are saying is what I read as a "literal" read of the FAR but there has to be some kind of consideration around this as there are a number of situations where it would be physically impossible to fully secure a space...even if it was walled off, you couldn't guarantee that someone wouldn't come over the wall and enter the space. Drones are being used for SAR missions and such in the field in conditions where it is impossible to fully secure the area. It seems that there has to be some kind of allowance for that kind of operation. Have you talked with anyone at the FAA about this to see if they have even considered this kind of circumstance?
Greetings! Congratulations for your excellent channel, please I need to know where to get the lighter batteries for the mini 2 and thus comply with the weight for category 1 and in my projects I often fly over people. Thank you!
Hi Greg,thanks for the time you took to make this very informative video,always doing a great work when it comes to share important information to the drone Comunity, I have a quick question.if my son wants me to record him on his skateboard doing some of his tricks not over him but along his side,and circle him,will this follow in one of the 3 categories?I know you mentioned that #4 is for bigger drones,thanks Greg.
If you're flying over water about 10 to 20 ft in the air and people are in the vicinity of the Drone but not directly under it or around it but they're in the sight of the camera is that considered flying over people. Also the Drone is just hovering it's not moving.
It appears to me that hovering over people/vehicles is not as dangerous as flying(at altitude) towards people/vehicles. I believe this will soon become obvious to the FAA.
Great job on your video! I'm going to Subscribe to your channel. Everyone keep in mind. We still need the Remote ID too. DJI told me they are working on it. Possibly might be a fix to their App. It already has it in the settings.
Not to be a smartass or anything but doesn't a helicopter have a whole hell of a lot more kinetic energy than a drone? Helicopters don't have rules as such. Nor planes for that matter. Its not as if people are crashing drones into people all the time for this to become regulated I don't think. Correct me if I'm wrong.
Manned aircraft are flown by people who receive flight instruction, are sitting IN the aircraft that they fly, require a certified mechanic to do maintenance each year (sometimes every 100 hours). The aircraft itself received a type certification from the FAA, can only be equipped with OEM parts, etc etc etc. Airplanes also can't fly less than 1000 feet over people.
You couldn’t fly over people before age now you can, with proper equipment. It’s not more rules, it’s just a way to do something you couldn’t do before!
I would have ran that into my leg! put me in coach!! I blew threw my finger with a nitro airplane motor with wooden prop in middle school.. good times still have my finger btw hahah
The regs are a big reason I’m not rushing out to upgrade. I have no plans to fly over people until I can do it inside the regs and not have the liability. Weddings can still be filmed from a short distance away from the crowd. I’ll be the one with no work because I don’t bend or break the rules.
I'm just getting into drone photography and I'm taking a different approach. As a portrait and wedding photographer, I have seen the industry destroyed for the mid level professional because of all the hobbyists who watch a video, take a dslr kit and call themselves a professional photographer. I can legally get great drone footage and the bride can just enjoy her day. After this video I have a clearer understanding of what I can do now legally and what to watch for in the future. The cheap option, the bride can get cousin Billy and if he screws up, crashes his drone and hurts someone, the bride gets to deal with the lawsuit. Also, they get to talk to the FAA for flying in controlled airspace without clearance. (In Springfield IL, there is a popular golf course for weddings that is less than a mile from the airport in class C from the surface to over 1000 feet.)
These rules do not apply indoors, the FAA doeant own the air we breathe yet.. so an indoor race track, ball field or indoor stadium is game on :) what about a stadium with a retractable roof, do the rules apply only when the roof is open? lol
@@badpaw Only when the roof is open. While the FAA doesn't control what happens inside a building, remember that liability is still present and you should carry insurance to protect yourself, and that insurance may not cover you without a part 107.
@@badpaw It should only cover the air above the highest part of the building, So if I were to fly the drone inside a stadium I should be able to fly up to or about the height of the lights right... Nope probably not.
As a novice drone enthusiastic pilot mistakes will occur. Having about 50 hours of flight time combined with an excess of beyond 300 miles flown accounts for my mm2 flights only. A dozen uav's preceed it. Gaining experience over time provides for improvement that allows me to be a better safer pilot for public safety considerations. CLEARLY BEING A MATURE EXPERIENCED UAV PILOT COMES WITH TIME. Thank you for your contribution that makes myself become a safer pre-part 107 pilot. Great info!
This is definitely important information, not only to understand the rules for flying over people, but for the Part 107 Test. I took it last week, and 2 of the questions were about the categories.
Great info, Greg! Nice to know at what stage we're in on this particular regulation. However, I have no plans to fly over people even if allowed to. I like to keep my risk low and safe. Thanks!
Hi Watching your channel and considering Part 107 training. I am a drone enthusiast and fly recreationally...Can these cut flesh? Hell yes....I have photos to of my mishap two years ago. I had done something stupid, (attempted a launch during a snow storm- high winds and below zero temps) It was an attempt to see if it was possible to photograph waves crashing into a light house....Dramatic...I launched off the bed of my truck, and the drone began to fly erratic before it got to 4 feet. I started to land it... it wasn't taking commands. just at that moment a car pulled up next to me and three or four kids piled out (unexpectedly) and I had to think very fast, (kids were watching the waves and they were way too close. I reached to grab the drone from the bottom and pull it down. It tried to correct, it over corrected. several blades struck my hand, there were 12 bleeding lacerations on my ring and middle fingers. My little finger had the pad (where the fingerprints are) lopped off. I was bleeding profusely. It was so cold the blood froze as it dripped on the truck. I had no first aid gear and completely surprised my wife.... If one or more of these spinning blades hits someone in the face, there will not be just one lacerations. But many, as that blade will hit multiple times before it breaks or stops. I can send pics if your want. Lesson learned....don't hit anyone....and don't fly in inclement weather
Excellent information, Greg! I honestly believe that the FAA should have you do videos for them whenever they put out major changes such as these. Now, you need to do one on night flying and how the rules apply to Recreational and Part 107 pilots. It's extremely difficult to get good, solid, reliable information on which rules apply to each category. Thanks for all that you do for us!
Here's one on Night flying: ua-cam.com/video/zrOOJPHWfTA/v-deo.html As far as hobbyist vs 107, here's one we published a while back but the info is still current. ua-cam.com/video/6JjMdHrAkXw/v-deo.html If you need more info, let me know and I'm happy to answer any questions.
I just took my first drone on my first ever flight. I logged about 2.5 seconds of flight time before causing serious injury to a human. I flew a HolyStone HS720E right into myself, and now have about 15 deep lacerations on my left hand. I was very surprised how quickly it got away from me, and how much harm it did in the process. Little whirling scalpels, these blades. This experience did more than all the strongly worded warnings in the world to open my eyes to the danger.
@@otero2235 on the bright side, I gave it a crappy review, and the making company are pay me to not bad reviewing by send new death drone. I sold the new death drone for cash to a guy I wouldn't necessarily shed a tear for if the drone amputated one of his fingers or something, and in the meantime, I bought good drone that doesn't amputate fingers. The only downside is the scars I bear to this day. It's pretty messed up that after all the stuff I've been through in 50 years, some of my most obvious scars came from a stupid drone. Sigh.
I bought that one and it was an absolute piece of shit, one evening I decided to get some footage of the sunset and it was 100 feet in the air, and while i was about to start recording, i saw the screen just start spinning and I look up and my drone is just falling out of the sky, i called customer service and told them what happened, they said they would replace the drone and i declined and said i would leave an honest review of what happened, and the drone was immediately taking off of amazon. Pretty shady, if I remember correctly i called a number that was in Germany and left a voice mail, and then i got a call at about 2am from an asian woman who barely spoke english. It was very difficult to communicate.
People, this isn't a controlled test with thousands of dollars to spend! Greg and the team are just helping you get some in site to the "possible" damage. Thank you Greg and team! I didn't think my air 2 would produce that much kinetic energy and was assuming it would fall under cat 2. I guess not. Thanks again!
the blades on the dji mini and mavic are designed to dissipate energy. the 11inch prop i have on my hanger 9 cub can cause far more damage since there is no flex in it
Greg, as usual, your reports are very informative. I agree with many others that those of us who are 107 certified have a good level of understanding about the rules, and for the most part are conscientious and responsible pilots. Nevertheless, it doesn’t hurt to be reminded that we must be responsible for our decisions about where and how we fly. Thanks again for another good video.
Great video and thorough explanation. Thanks for the cheat sheet as well. I haven't found a need/reason to do sustained flight over people but transitioning rears its head frequently.
Thank you Greg! Another great video. This was an especially confusing topic and you made it easy to understand as is all of the material you present in your part 107 course!
I watched this when you first posted it. I came back and watched it again today because the online course that I use to study for my Part 107 did a terrible job of explaining it in their updated materials. I appreciate this video even more now.
I can say first-hand that a Mini can lacerate the skin. I was flying mine when I first got it and I was returning to "home" too fast from a low angle. With the momentum and trajectory it was going to hit my car so I instinctively held out my hand to block it (like most people uninvolved with the drone would) and it cut my finger like a razor. No stitches or anything but a good clean cut.
Coming from someone who has seen a drone injury. These little drones can cause a lot of damage. I was flying my DJI Mini 2 and somehow the drone disconnected from the controller and I lost all control. The drone ended up flying full speed towards my friend and sliced his arm open. We drove to the hospital because it was a very deep cut and he got 27 stitches. These kinds of drones are not "toys" and even when piloted by an experienced droner, they can become dangerous very fast. Don't fear getting hurt because this does not happen very often but just remember it is a possibility.
Any drone be it "big or little" can do lots of damage to people or things, this is true. But for my personal experience, I have lost all signal to my drone (Mini 3) and the only thing that happened is that the automatic RTH (Return To Home) function activated and my drone landed safe and sound exactly where it was supposed to with no damage to anything or any one. Admittedly when I first lost signal , I was sweating bullets. But the drone did exactly what it's program was set to do The moral is simple here, Know all the functions of your drone and how to set and apply them properly before you fly.
Just bought my first drone, and started doing a ton of research on what is allowed...this channel has been a HUGE help so far. I'm shocked by how many regulations there are, but at the same time...I'd rather be lawful and safe more than anything!
I'm taking Pilot Institute course in preparation for the Part 107 exam. The information is critical for commercial missions; especially when your company can be sued.
I can fly in a field and enjoy myself but if someone shows up… I have to stop flying. That’s stupid. Drone pilots already deal with enough idiots, now we’re giving them power to prevent us from flying. Awesome, FAA. Thanks.
I am guessing that two things will happen pretty quickly. First DJI will make their lighter weight battery available in the US for the Mini2, the second is that they will be doing extensive testing very quickly on the Mini 2 and the Air 2S. This is a huge opportunity for them, I can't imagine they won't take advantage of it. There are already issues with the batteries for the Mini 2, they can solve both problems at the same time.
Perfect, Greg! This is just what I needed to help clear up a lot of the confusion! I was actually wondering what "over people" really means. You've cleared it up. I've been asked to film a private party in someone's backyard in the summer. So now I know that as long as I don't hover directly over anyone in that party, I'm good to go. I can film the party from outside the perimeter of the yard (assuming there's no one under the drone). Thank you!
All these regulations seem to be geared more to killing the hobby than to improve the hobby. Their main intent is to make it so difficult to understand all of the rules and regulations and subparts the regulations that they take all the fun out of it. I would love to buy a drone but if I have to follow all of these regulations I would have my attorney standing next to me telling me oh no on the sub part on that part you can’t do this and you can’t do that. Why bother. I understand there has to be rules and regulations. But they have manipulated these rules and regulations to do nothing but hand out fines and possible prison sentences. So again one must ask themselves is it worth it or not?
Thank you for keeping everyone updated. I passed my exam on the 12th of April after finishing your course and this is the area I really wanted clarification on. Great job and keep the videos coming!
So basically a waiver is needed regardless for my MAVIC 2 Enterprise Advanced because it is not set to a certain classification? That clarifies it. I took your course but was confused once we got this drone as we did t know what we would purchase.
Hello from the Untied Kingdom ! Great Video. Here in the UK we have adopted the European regulations, and fortunately for us, for now at least, we can fly a mavic mini over people but not assemblies of people without a prop guard. We too have MTOM categories. Above 250g we have to stay 50metres away from people, and we can't overfly. However, a new relaxing regulation has just come in called 'Article 16'. If you are a member of a major model flying club like BFMA or FPVUK for example, and sign up to Article 16 on their websites, there is surprisingly NO separation distance and can fly over people for 250g or less drones. We can fly heavier drones up to 7.5Kg over people at a distance of just 30metres: So basically there's more emphasis on competence, here and we also have a new permission called the A2 CofC which involves some study at an approved flight school but is not overly expensive nor difficult which allows for heavier drones to be flown in recreational areas, Industrial Estates, etc within the A2 flying category (near to people). That's a little over tall tree height which seems a bit crazy, and we sincerely hope that people here won't abuse this privilege. It applies at all suitable flying locations in the UK not just within the confines of registered flying clubs either. Our max altitude is 400ft above the terrain you're flying over, higher without permission if conducting an inspection of say a transmission tower as long as you're very close to it. (within 50m I think). These privileges were unexpected, and in our opinion have been well thought through. We can't go through all the nuts and bolts here, so if you're thinking about flying in the UK please refer to the CAA website first. You will need to register your drone here (All weights, except toys without cameras). We had grey areas too but most of these have now been clarified by the CAA. But it does seem to us that the FAA have really made 'a dog's dinner' of it all, which coupled with the confusion, will no doubt lead to unintended breaches. 😒
This video is great. I passed my 107 knowledge test today - 95%. The three questions I got wrong related to these new Categories, and Remote ID. The course I used briefly touched on the categories - I.e. I knew the weight and foot pound limits, but not enough to get the questions right. I feel that I would have got a perfect score had I watched this first.
Thanks, this was helpful. I will be shooting footage of beaches in my area while people are present. My plan is to only transit over people and restrict flightpath to over water and shoot to the side and down. Ditto with any boats, surfboards etc that may be present.
I've been hit by a phantom with aftermarket upgraded plastic props even though painful and did draw minor blood to a couple of fingers, not really all that dramatic. Nothing life-threatening or ultra dangerous unless you're a fragile, ultra sensitive individual. Now a serious RC electric or nitro performance helicopter, a different story.
This was great!! Thank you for clearing up the confusion I had...and right out the gate pointing out that my drone doesn't qualify anyway (the Mini 2). ...and of course, even if IT did, I still wouldn't as a recreational flyer =)
a baseball thrown at approximately 90mph has 80+ ft/lbs of kinetic energy... so I guess baseballs are level 3+... a 2500 lb car moving at 1/10 of a mile an hour has 26 ft lbs of energy... which makes it a lvl 2. and if you make the car 250 lbs lighter and it is moving at a bit faster than a snails pace of 1/10th of a mile per hour it is a lvl 1... and btw 1/10 of a mph is .146 feet per second or 1.7 inches per second... and a BB that weighs .0011 lbs moving at 210 fps has 24 ft.lbs of KE ... so the BB is a lvl 1 also.... the thing to remember is dont walk within 75 feet of trees on a windy day, it could fall over on you...
Question: Even with a parachute, wouldn't you have to be flying at some certain altitude in order for it to deploy and slow down enough to reduce the kinetic energy enough? Thanks for the video!
Great video. For testing, ascending at the time of impact will cause the rotors to spin faster for a stronger impact. The Mini 3 Pro has rubberized tips on the standard rotors which "may" reduce the chance of lacerations since it is a slightly larger impact area which would be a blunt impact versus the thinner tipped rotors used in the testing. Of course when this video was recorded the M3P wasn't available. I can confirm the Mavic Pro 1 can cause bleeding lacerations at maybe 5-7 MPH. I "thought" I had pulled the stick down enough to do the automatic landing, but I had not. When I pulled the sticks in and down to turn off the rotors, the drone moved forward and to the side which caused it to hit me across the stomach, hip and thigh as it fell. No damage to the drone at all, but I had 7 rotor strikes hard enough to leave marks and blood blisters, and 3 of those strikes drew blood where I put Neosporin and band-aids on them. One of those that bled was a strike THROUGH my shirt. Kinetic energy is basically weight x speed squared. So a 1 kilogram object moving at 10 meters per second would have 50 units of J or Joules for the physics term. A 2 kilogram object moving at 5 meters per second would have 25% energy rating of Joules, so speed is the bigger factor.
I belong to an AMA sanctioned Radio control Club. We often have a lot of people attending our field and have shelters for pilots and others to stand under. I do not get above 400' and do not fly over people. Safety is paramount . I am more afraid of the Helicopter pilots doing Crazy maneuvers like Tic-Toc. 6' head rotors and 20 lb +. Scary. Can anything be done about that. I have my FAA UAS registration so I can fly.
No. The parachute is not a method of compliance for category 1. You just can't fly it over people at the moment unless you have a Japanese battery that makes it 249g with prop guards.
I picked up my Mavic Pro after flying my Tello and it was pretty obvious that I would not want to chance flying over people with the MP. It's a brick. The Tello with full prop guards weights about 110 grams so if I'm understanding the definitions you provided it would qualify as a category 1 drone.
They will Just higher the Standards as soon as a lighter drone is born, instead of 249gr they will make it 200gr 🤦🏼♂️ It's there rules, their game and they are sore losers. Enjoy flying g while you can, eventually, Amazon's and companies alike will want laws passed with no hobby drones in the sky's. I just don't put it past them. 🤷🏻♂️
Been flying drones for years. Very hard to see a scenario where you plow your drone into a person , now dropping out of the sky on somebody’s head. Now that’s another story . All in all , just forget about flying your drone anywhere people see you .
Rather subjective .. many similar tests online and on youtube have determined the Mini and Mini 2 do NOT cause lacerations. What constitutes a Laceration is also debatable. Also it seems the FAA would use these laws backwards .. if your drone cuts somebody.. then they will arrest you for a violation, but not for just flying over people.
My grandfather used to work for a pharmaceutical company. If the FAA is like the FDA, the testing and approval process is very expensive and takes tons of time.
Well thank God we can’t fly over highways. I’d hate to lacerate a Peterbuilt, they’re so shiny and majestic....😂 (yes, i understand why, this is a joke.... just.... fyi... sarcasm).
I assumed all drones under 0.55 are easily thrown off course! I bought two both TSRC a Q7 and Q8 (0.39 G)! More weight better stabilityt? WRONG... I was cut! The drone lunged forward 1st lift off then towards me when I got cut. I switched to mode 2 (in door mode) without gps assistance it was fine. Things can contribute, 1 signal interference.... 2 weather conditions 3 make sure you calibrate with each use. Holy Stone is listed as a great drone, I'd like to know if the reviews are written by actual users of the product 😂
You're assuming everyone who watches your videos is American. It is a big world out there and not one country. The FAA can FO for what I care. But your points are true to be aware of harm they can cause. Just don't assume you have only audience.
I NEVER fly over people, one time my drone battery disconnected at 175 feet and it made a 1 in hole in the ground, just think if it hit someone, (typhoon H plus)
Excellent straight-forward video on the most difficult part of the Part 107 exam! Good job! Unfortunately, not good news for Mavic Pro or Phantom pilots.
There are quite a few cinewhoops available today that are under 250g that are capable of 4k video. Cinewhoops are ducted quads, and the ducts perform as prop guards. Flight time are usually in the 4 to 6 minutes and all it takes is time on the sticks to learn to fly fpv.
I was recently testing my DJI mini (the origianal) and it had a nick on the blade that I did not see before flying. It caused the drone to fly sideways. I was testing it indoors and instinctively put out my foot to prevent it from hitting anything. I was wearing shorts and it gave me 2 significant lacerations. Dumb, yes. But I can assure you this little drone can do some damage. I have am ambulance company and had to go to my supplies for some 4x4s and tape to stop the bleeding. No stiches needed. But close.
now there needs to be a difinative description of laceration, how deep does it have to go to be considered a deep scratch or a laceration. A cut on the forehead only has to go about 1/5th of an inch to show bone but several inches to see bone on the upper leg...
Most folks will be out of category - therefore, apply for the waiver. FAA Drone Zone waiver process is quite good at suggesting what exceptions that you can apply for.
I like to film trains and boats (barges on the river) I am never directly above and stay away to the side usually no closer than 30ft distance and generally at 50-100ft height I still have not got my 107 so I don't post them yet because of monetization. Can anyone answer if that is ok, I am still not sure after watching.
I bought a drone with prop guards first hit on one broke, Many drones don't come with any prop guards even though my intent is not to fly anywhere near people. You state transition crossing over a highway/road with moving vehicles is ok make there own wind/turbulence easily throwing a sub under 0.55 grams off course. My question... could you buy insurance because you may cause damage to skin or accidental damage to property unintentionally?
So you can preform sustained flight over people... but not vehicles. 🤔🤯 Because that makes sense and sounds safe! Curious what the differentiation between CAT I and CAT II are, they seem to have the same limitations/ allowances.
Yep! Bottom line is mitigating risk. Fortunately, drones in general, have good track records with regards to minimal injuries to people, and 107 pilots are fairly conscientious people who carry a degree of responsibility and brains. Good luck everyone!
Well I am sure I will change that. I am a jinx…and a good one. VTI Phoenix drone #1 went airborne as I was wanting. It must have loved the fresh air cause it never came home. Should be entering the moons orbit by Christmas.
VTI Phoenix #2 was at a truck stop. I kept it 5-10 feet in the air. Wanted to see how accurate the RTH function was. It went up about 15-20 feet and slammed into the pavement. Then it went crazy skimmed along the ground bumped into a truck and went airborne and I never found it. Now have VTI Phoenix #3. Put a strobe on it hoping it makes it easier to find in the dark. I realized a small dent in a propeller can easily affect its behavior. Slowly getting better. Just bought a DJI FPV it is staying in the box for now because it cost me close to $1100. But I am hooked on drones. Fun to fly. If you or anyone has any tips for a new “pilot” give them to me. I use that term “pilot” loosely.😳
I fully support the prohibition on flying over people (though it's certainly a bit vague), and practicing drone safety, but I think it's noteworthy how few significant injuries have been suffered as drones have proliferated.
I haven't updated my research but, the last time I checked, no American had ever been seriously injured by a hobby drone. Lots of superficial lacerations, but nothing that would be considered "serious" from a medical standpoint.
That's especially significant when you compare the data to something like personal watercraft (another hobby vehicle) which kill many people every year.
As always Greg, very well done & thorough. Thank you!
I have a Mini and a Mini 2. I once was messing around and had my drone about 40' away from me. It was in sport mode and it was facing me and I floored it. It comes right at me, I let go of the sticks when it was about 5' out and BAMM...right into me(and it still flew). I got cut. I felt a sting and was not expecting blood but I was wrong. A good 1" slice, not that deep, but I bled. I am a Part 107 pilot and a Private Pilot(not current for many years). I listened to more of your video and in my opinion the FAA is making it rough on drone manufacturers. They need to give them a chance to make something safe to fly sustained over people. I'm thinking 300 grams including the prop guards.I''m looking to fly my drone for wedding coverage since I am a wedding photographer for many many years.This video is excellent for me. I subscribed.
Wow, thanks for sharing, Harrison. Glad you were ok!
Fantastic video!
For what it's worth: the mini-2 definitely can cause lacerations.
I learned that the hard way practicing hand landings... and I have the video to prove it.
I appreciate your time taken on this video Greg thank you.
Regarding lacerations, These props can do serious damage. On one of my first flights I had to stick my hand out to prevent being hit in the head with my MA2 because of my inexperience. Three Quick, Clean and at least 1/8" deep slices in my right pinky that bled like mad. A compression wrap stopped the Bleeding and with a tight bandage healed with very fine scars, although some nerve damage lingers. I cringe thinking about what would happen if one would strike someones face or eye.
I never had this issue and I hit the spinning props a few times
Hopefully with your connections, you and eventually come up with a source for the 1100 mah battery for the mini 2.
I am an electrical engineer and I question the interpretation of the FAA and the means in which you are testing if the propellers cause lacerations. The FAA bring forth two measurements within their guidelines; 1) is propellers rotation ability to cause lacerations and 2) kinetic energy of the drone's movement.
The means in which you tested if the propellers would cause lacerations was measuring both the propellers ability to cause lacerations AND at the same time the kinetic energy of the drone.
As your testing demonstrated most of the attempts the propeller's rotation did not cause lacerations, which suggests if you would have only tested if the propellers themselves would cause lacerations separate from kinetic energy, there is likely a different result.
I suggest redoing your test but only test one measurement at a time; 1) propellers rotation ability to cause lacerations without the drone moving with kinetic energy and 2) seperate kinetic energy tests.
There are several sets of requirements that must be met for certain drones in the regulation. One for lacerations, one for KE (amongst others). In this video, we wanted to test category 1 drones, which don't have a KE requirement, only a laceration, which is why we performed the test the way we did.
Very important that we know this!
Thank you Greg.
Back in the day I had a 350qx blade quadcopter. Put carbon fiber blades on it. Tried catching it by hand. I got 16 stitches that day. It looked like a murder happened.
Mind. Blown.
Thanks for an excellent and informative video. I'm a little confused with what happened to the 30 metre spacing rule when flying over people or vehicles. While it's great news for commercial drone pilots, I'm very apprehensive about it all. As a recreational RC model airplane enthusiast I won't be allowed to fly my light electric foam aircraft at the local park without remote ID because of chance of collision due to increased commercial drone traffic. Unfortunately the FAA largely ignored hobbyists concerns in the recent public submissions (remote ID) and have future legislated costs and restrictions to the very people who contribute to the advancement of the drone industry. It feels like a slap in the face.
I totally understand. The RC community has been flying safely for decades and a lot of new restrictions are indeed because of new types of drones.
There is an interesting space that isn't covered here. That is "incidental" flight over a person or persons but not really a gathering. Specifically, I am talking about drones that are not in any category.
Here are a few examples:
1. You are taking photos of a property for real-estate. You are keeping the drone over the property but a passerby walks onto the property, under the drone, to ask you what you are doing. It is not intentional or desirable but the drone is still operated over a person for a short period of time.
2. You are flying the drone in a park, taking some photos. You surveyed the area to confirm nobody was around but, while you are conducting your flight, a couple comes walking down a path, right under your drone. Again, it was not intentional or even desirable but the drone was still operated over people.
3. Someone hates the sound of drones and knows the rules about flying over people. They see you flying, sneak out underneath it, take a photo of the drone over them and report you to the FAA.
Have you seen any guidance on these kinds of scenarios? (If we can't get guidance on this, drones are almost going to become impossible to fly because there is no way you can 100% guarantee no person would ever be overflown.)
Hi, for your first example, it's not covered under the regulation because it is the pilot in command responsibility to ensure that no one flies under the drone, by securing the area or using visual observers. Technically, even if for a short period of time, it would be considered flying over people.
For 2, same situation. You need spatial awareness and need to do what it takes to stay away from people.
For 3, they would need a lot more information to report you to the FAA. Unlikely scenario, especially if you put in place the tips from the previous answers.
@@PilotInstitute Thank you for the response. What you are saying is what I read as a "literal" read of the FAR but there has to be some kind of consideration around this as there are a number of situations where it would be physically impossible to fully secure a space...even if it was walled off, you couldn't guarantee that someone wouldn't come over the wall and enter the space.
Drones are being used for SAR missions and such in the field in conditions where it is impossible to fully secure the area. It seems that there has to be some kind of allowance for that kind of operation. Have you talked with anyone at the FAA about this to see if they have even considered this kind of circumstance?
@@therileyfam In this case, you would use visual observers to be an extra set of eyes that relay the information to the pilot.
@@PilotInstitute I get that but, even then, there are multiple cases where a visual observer couldn't catch someone quick enough.
@@therileyfam It's likely a sign you shouldn't fly there. If you ask anyone experienced in flying, they will likely tell you the same thing.
Greg ,all I can say is thank you.
That was an awesome show. Very educational. Thanks, Greg.
So I guess the mini pro three is going to be in the same category yes or no
No category for the 3.
Greetings! Congratulations for your excellent channel, please I need to know where to get the lighter batteries for the mini 2 and thus comply with the weight for category 1 and in my projects I often fly over people.
Thank you!
The Mini doesn’t have avoidance like Mavic Pro, Pro 2’s etc! I have 4 Drones and the only I have ever crashed was the Mavic Mini !
Hi Greg,thanks for the time you took to make this very informative video,always doing a great work when it comes to share important information to the drone Comunity, I have a quick question.if my son wants me to record him on his skateboard doing some of his tricks not over him but along his side,and circle him,will this follow in one of the 3 categories?I know you mentioned that #4 is for bigger drones,thanks Greg.
If you're never over him, no need for a category drone, that just falls under Normal operations! Record away!
@@PilotInstitute thanks Greg for your quick response to my question,always appreciate your professionalism.
Greg! I think the Ryze Tello would qualify as a Cat 1 drone with prop guards. .
That's correct!
If you're flying over water about 10 to 20 ft in the air and people are in the vicinity of the Drone but not directly under it or around it but they're in the sight of the camera is that considered flying over people. Also the Drone is just hovering it's not moving.
If you're not directly on top, you're fine, this doesn't apply. Only when the drone is directly on top.
@@PilotInstitute thank you so much Greg for the clarification!!! Keep up the great work love it so much.
It appears to me that hovering over people/vehicles is not as dangerous as flying(at altitude) towards people/vehicles. I believe this will soon become obvious to the FAA.
I guess a bicycle jumping a ramp and crashing requires an FAA investigation.
Thank you.
Thank you
Great job on your video! I'm going to Subscribe to your channel. Everyone keep in mind. We still need the Remote ID too. DJI told me they are working on it. Possibly might be a fix to their App. It already has it in the settings.
Crystal clear, thanks for the research. I keep that in mind next time I fly my 400 grams drone ;)
Not to be a smartass or anything but doesn't a helicopter have a whole hell of a lot more kinetic energy than a drone? Helicopters don't have rules as such. Nor planes for that matter. Its not as if people are crashing drones into people all the time for this to become regulated I don't think. Correct me if I'm wrong.
Manned aircraft are flown by people who receive flight instruction, are sitting IN the aircraft that they fly, require a certified mechanic to do maintenance each year (sometimes every 100 hours). The aircraft itself received a type certification from the FAA, can only be equipped with OEM parts, etc etc etc. Airplanes also can't fly less than 1000 feet over people.
So it's pointless in having a drone as we are just getting more and more rules of what we can't do with them
You couldn’t fly over people before age now you can, with proper equipment. It’s not more rules, it’s just a way to do something you couldn’t do before!
How about testing on ballistics gel? I scrolled down a ways in the comments but didn’t see anyone mentioning or suggesting it. Anyone ever try this?
Ballistic gel is good for bullet penetration testing and testing the damage it does when the bullet is inside. It’s not great for testing lacerations.
I would have ran that into my leg! put me in coach!! I blew threw my finger with a nitro airplane motor with wooden prop in middle school.. good times still have my finger btw hahah
The entire purpose of this video is to tell us that really stupid people should not fly drones over *anything* not just people.
The regs are a big reason I’m not rushing out to upgrade. I have no plans to fly over people until I can do it inside the regs and not have the liability. Weddings can still be filmed from a short distance away from the crowd. I’ll be the one with no work because I don’t bend or break the rules.
I'm just getting into drone photography and I'm taking a different approach. As a portrait and wedding photographer, I have seen the industry destroyed for the mid level professional because of all the hobbyists who watch a video, take a dslr kit and call themselves a professional photographer.
I can legally get great drone footage and the bride can just enjoy her day. After this video I have a clearer understanding of what I can do now legally and what to watch for in the future. The cheap option, the bride can get cousin Billy and if he screws up, crashes his drone and hurts someone, the bride gets to deal with the lawsuit. Also, they get to talk to the FAA for flying in controlled airspace without clearance. (In Springfield IL, there is a popular golf course for weddings that is less than a mile from the airport in class C from the surface to over 1000 feet.)
These rules do not apply indoors, the FAA doeant own the air we breathe yet.. so an indoor race track, ball field or indoor stadium is game on :) what about a stadium with a retractable roof, do the rules apply only when the roof is open? lol
@@badpaw Only when the roof is open. While the FAA doesn't control what happens inside a building, remember that liability is still present and you should carry insurance to protect yourself, and that insurance may not cover you without a part 107.
Your correct. Not worth the risk.
@@badpaw It should only cover the air above the highest part of the building, So if I were to fly the drone inside a stadium I should be able to fly up to or about the height of the lights right... Nope probably not.
Greg thank you for taking the time to digest this for us. I guess from now on, will be better flying on desert or over the ocean...😁
Ha youd probs still get someone there too lol
As a novice drone enthusiastic pilot mistakes will occur. Having about 50 hours of flight time combined with an excess of beyond 300 miles flown accounts for my mm2 flights only. A dozen uav's preceed it. Gaining experience over time provides for improvement that allows me to be a better safer pilot for public safety considerations. CLEARLY BEING A MATURE EXPERIENCED UAV PILOT COMES WITH TIME. Thank you for your contribution that makes myself become a safer pre-part 107 pilot. Great info!
Wise words and great airmanship! Thank you for sharing.
This is definitely important information, not only to understand the rules for flying over people, but for the Part 107 Test. I took it last week, and 2 of the questions were about the categories.
Remember the questions at all? Would love to hear any
Hey I took it and passed wohooo.
I received a hand cut from my Mini’s prop when I did a hand landing poorly. It was a pretty deep cut that bled for about ten minutes.
Great info, Greg! Nice to know at what stage we're in on this particular regulation. However, I have no plans to fly over people even if allowed to. I like to keep my risk low and safe. Thanks!
Me too, bought a telescopic 22 feet long fishing rod. Attach my Insta360 go 2 wrapped in foam to it, problem solved.
@@cineffect I have the insta360 x2 with the long selfish stick as well.
Hi Watching your channel and considering Part 107 training. I am a drone enthusiast and fly recreationally...Can these cut flesh? Hell yes....I have photos to of my mishap two years ago. I had done something stupid, (attempted a launch during a snow storm- high winds and below zero temps) It was an attempt to see if it was possible to photograph waves crashing into a light house....Dramatic...I launched off the bed of my truck, and the drone began to fly erratic before it got to 4 feet. I started to land it... it wasn't taking commands. just at that moment a car pulled up next to me and three or four kids piled out (unexpectedly) and I had to think very fast, (kids were watching the waves and they were way too close. I reached to grab the drone from the bottom and pull it down. It tried to correct, it over corrected. several blades struck my hand, there were 12 bleeding lacerations on my ring and middle fingers. My little finger had the pad (where the fingerprints are) lopped off. I was bleeding profusely. It was so cold the blood froze as it dripped on the truck. I had no first aid gear and completely surprised my wife.... If one or more of these spinning blades hits someone in the face, there will not be just one lacerations. But many, as that blade will hit multiple times before it breaks or stops. I can send pics if your want. Lesson learned....don't hit anyone....and don't fly in inclement weather
Thank you for sharing! Glad you made it out somewhat ok. Which drone was it?
@@PilotInstitute Thanx it was the first Mavic. I am all healed up and flying as ever before ....
@@emergencynurse02 Good to hear!
Excellent information, Greg! I honestly believe that the FAA should have you do videos for them whenever they put out major changes such as these. Now, you need to do one on night flying and how the rules apply to Recreational and Part 107 pilots. It's extremely difficult to get good, solid, reliable information on which rules apply to each category. Thanks for all that you do for us!
Here's one on Night flying: ua-cam.com/video/zrOOJPHWfTA/v-deo.html
As far as hobbyist vs 107, here's one we published a while back but the info is still current.
ua-cam.com/video/6JjMdHrAkXw/v-deo.html
If you need more info, let me know and I'm happy to answer any questions.
I just took my first drone on my first ever flight. I logged about 2.5 seconds of flight time before causing serious injury to a human. I flew a HolyStone HS720E right into myself, and now have about 15 deep lacerations on my left hand. I was very surprised how quickly it got away from me, and how much harm it did in the process. Little whirling scalpels, these blades. This experience did more than all the strongly worded warnings in the world to open my eyes to the danger.
Good point - Ill wear my motorcycle gear first few times I fly mine
If it was a HS720E it probably flew into you all by itself. Take care with that thing it has a mind of its own.
@@otero2235 on the bright side, I gave it a crappy review, and the making company are pay me to not bad reviewing by send new death drone. I sold the new death drone for cash to a guy I wouldn't necessarily shed a tear for if the drone amputated one of his fingers or something, and in the meantime, I bought good drone that doesn't amputate fingers. The only downside is the scars I bear to this day. It's pretty messed up that after all the stuff I've been through in 50 years, some of my most obvious scars came from a stupid drone. Sigh.
I bought that one and it was an absolute piece of shit, one evening I decided to get some footage of the sunset and it was 100 feet in the air, and while i was about to start recording, i saw the screen just start spinning and I look up and my drone is just falling out of the sky, i called customer service and told them what happened, they said they would replace the drone and i declined and said i would leave an honest review of what happened, and the drone was immediately taking off of amazon. Pretty shady, if I remember correctly i called a number that was in Germany and left a voice mail, and then i got a call at about 2am from an asian woman who barely spoke english. It was very difficult to communicate.
Holystone drones are junk.
People, this isn't a controlled test with thousands of dollars to spend! Greg and the team are just helping you get some in site to the "possible" damage. Thank you Greg and team! I didn't think my air 2 would produce that much kinetic energy and was assuming it would fall under cat 2. I guess not. Thanks again!
Thanks! We hope this gets more people to test and try to replicate what we did.
@@PilotInstitute and damage their own drones?! Hahahaha. I wouldn't hold your breath!
the blades on the dji mini and mavic are designed to dissipate energy. the 11inch prop i have on my hanger 9 cub can cause far more damage since there is no flex in it
Great video Greg! Thanks for the info and thank you for keeping the info up to date. I think this did clear up some of the questions
Greg, as usual, your reports are very informative. I agree with many others that those of us who are 107 certified have a good level of understanding about the rules, and for the most part are conscientious and responsible pilots. Nevertheless, it doesn’t hurt to be reminded that we must be responsible for our decisions about where and how we fly. Thanks again for another good video.
Great video and thorough explanation. Thanks for the cheat sheet as well. I haven't found a need/reason to do sustained flight over people but transitioning rears its head frequently.
Thank you Greg! Another great video. This was an especially confusing topic and you made it easy to understand as is all of the material you present in your part 107 course!
I watched this when you first posted it. I came back and watched it again today because the online course that I use to study for my Part 107 did a terrible job of explaining it in their updated materials. I appreciate this video even more now.
Great comprehensive video. Thanks for putting this out for people to see and understand what is involved with these new regs. Safe flying!
I can say first-hand that a Mini can lacerate the skin. I was flying mine when I first got it and I was returning to "home" too fast from a low angle. With the momentum and trajectory it was going to hit my car so I instinctively held out my hand to block it (like most people uninvolved with the drone would) and it cut my finger like a razor. No stitches or anything but a good clean cut.
I never cut my hands with mini props and I banged them a few times
Coming from someone who has seen a drone injury. These little drones can cause a lot of damage. I was flying my DJI Mini 2 and somehow the drone disconnected from the controller and I lost all control. The drone ended up flying full speed towards my friend and sliced his arm open. We drove to the hospital because it was a very deep cut and he got 27 stitches. These kinds of drones are not "toys" and even when piloted by an experienced droner, they can become dangerous very fast. Don't fear getting hurt because this does not happen very often but just remember it is a possibility.
Any drone be it "big or little" can do lots of damage to people or things, this is true. But for my personal experience, I have lost all signal to my drone (Mini 3) and the only thing that happened is that the automatic RTH (Return To Home) function activated and my drone landed safe and sound exactly where it was supposed to with no damage to anything or any one. Admittedly when I first lost signal , I was sweating bullets. But the drone did exactly what it's program was set to do The moral is simple here, Know all the functions of your drone and how to set and apply them properly before you fly.
Just bought my first drone, and started doing a ton of research on what is allowed...this channel has been a HUGE help so far. I'm shocked by how many regulations there are, but at the same time...I'd rather be lawful and safe more than anything!
I'm taking Pilot Institute course in preparation for the Part 107 exam. The information is critical for commercial missions; especially when your company can be sued.
I can fly in a field and enjoy myself but if someone shows up… I have to stop flying.
That’s stupid. Drone pilots already deal with enough idiots, now we’re giving them power to prevent us from flying.
Awesome, FAA. Thanks.
While their big ass airplanes which if they fall can kill hundreds are ok to fly over us
While their big ass planes that can kill hundreds are ok to fly over us
I am guessing that two things will happen pretty quickly. First DJI will make their lighter weight battery available in the US for the Mini2, the second is that they will be doing extensive testing very quickly on the Mini 2 and the Air 2S. This is a huge opportunity for them, I can't imagine they won't take advantage of it. There are already issues with the batteries for the Mini 2, they can solve both problems at the same time.
year later and they have released a heavier battery for the mini 3, not a lighter one... Doh!
Phantom 3 cut my sisters arm 3 inches long 1 inch deep while she was trying to catch the drone, be careful around people
Perfect, Greg! This is just what I needed to help clear up a lot of the confusion! I was actually wondering what "over people" really means. You've cleared it up. I've been asked to film a private party in someone's backyard in the summer. So now I know that as long as I don't hover directly over anyone in that party, I'm good to go. I can film the party from outside the perimeter of the yard (assuming there's no one under the drone). Thank you!
All these regulations seem to be geared more to killing the hobby than to improve the hobby. Their main intent is to make it so difficult to understand all of the rules and regulations and subparts the regulations that they take all the fun out of it. I would love to buy a drone but if I have to follow all of these regulations I would have my attorney standing next to me telling me oh no on the sub part on that part you can’t do this and you can’t do that. Why bother. I understand there has to be rules and regulations. But they have manipulated these rules and regulations to do nothing but hand out fines and possible prison sentences. So again one must ask themselves is it worth it or not?
Thank you for keeping everyone updated. I passed my exam on the 12th of April after finishing your course and this is the area I really wanted clarification on. Great job and keep the videos coming!
Oh my God dude, get to the point. Then you can elaborate.
Ikr lolol
No
Yesss
I just thought I was going effin nuts over the same damn thing. Jezuuus tits.
Maybe do your own vid to your liking? Just saying…its free, move on if not for you. Everyone’s a critic these days. OY
So basically a waiver is needed regardless for my MAVIC 2 Enterprise Advanced because it is not set to a certain classification? That clarifies it. I took your course but was confused once we got this drone as we did t know what we would purchase.
So theoretically you could fly over people. But practically you can't...
Hello from the Untied Kingdom ! Great Video.
Here in the UK we have adopted the European regulations, and fortunately for us, for now at least, we can fly a mavic mini over people but not assemblies of people without a prop guard. We too have MTOM categories. Above 250g we have to stay 50metres away from people, and we can't overfly.
However, a new relaxing regulation has just come in called 'Article 16'. If you are a member of a major model flying club like BFMA or FPVUK for example, and sign up to Article 16 on their websites, there is surprisingly NO separation distance and can fly over people for 250g or less drones.
We can fly heavier drones up to 7.5Kg over people at a distance of just 30metres:
So basically there's more emphasis on competence, here and we also have a new permission called the A2 CofC which involves some study at an approved flight school but is not overly expensive nor difficult which allows for heavier drones to be flown in recreational areas, Industrial Estates, etc within the A2 flying category (near to people).
That's a little over tall tree height which seems a bit crazy, and we sincerely hope that people here won't abuse this privilege. It applies at all suitable flying locations in the UK not just within the confines of registered flying clubs either.
Our max altitude is 400ft above the terrain you're flying over, higher without permission if conducting an inspection of say a transmission tower as long as you're very close to it. (within 50m I think).
These privileges were unexpected, and in our opinion have been well thought through.
We can't go through all the nuts and bolts here, so if you're thinking about flying in the UK please refer to the CAA website first. You will need to register your drone here (All weights, except toys without cameras).
We had grey areas too but most of these have now been clarified by the CAA.
But it does seem to us that the FAA have really made 'a dog's dinner' of it all, which coupled with the confusion, will no doubt lead to unintended breaches. 😒
Was goin to state UK use CAA Regs but you said it all and I also wasn't aware of Article 16 either so will check it out pronto! Cheers.
Great video Greg. I am almost done with my Part 107 from your academy. It is very well put together.
Quick question though, is that a chicken leg? lol
Pig foot :)
@@PilotInstitute ohhhh haha
Fly a drone over people is fine. Don't fly it to people for sure.
This video is great. I passed my 107 knowledge test today - 95%. The three questions I got wrong related to these new Categories, and Remote ID. The course I used briefly touched on the categories - I.e. I knew the weight and foot pound limits, but not enough to get the questions right. I feel that I would have got a perfect score had I watched this first.
Thanks, this was helpful. I will be shooting footage of beaches in my area while people are present. My plan is to only transit over people and restrict flightpath to over water and shoot to the side and down. Ditto with any boats, surfboards etc that may be present.
What a bunch of crap! What about Helicopters small planes and jets flying over cities and sporting events? Our government at work. What a shame.
You might not like it but this is actually less rules than before. It was basically impossible to legally fly over people or vehicles prior to this.
@pilotinstitute Thanks for all the great information. Do you have a link to those light weight DJI batteries? Have tried to find them and no luck.
Very glad I watched this. You guys put a lot of work into this and it was easy to understand and follow.
I've been hit by a phantom with aftermarket upgraded plastic props even though painful and did draw minor blood to a couple of fingers, not really all that dramatic. Nothing life-threatening or ultra dangerous unless you're a fragile, ultra
sensitive individual. Now a serious RC electric or nitro performance
helicopter, a different story.
Great Information great job. Wow thank you so much for this information
n
This was great!! Thank you for clearing up the confusion I had...and right out the gate pointing out that my drone doesn't qualify anyway (the Mini 2).
...and of course, even if IT did, I still wouldn't as a recreational flyer =)
a baseball thrown at approximately 90mph has 80+ ft/lbs of kinetic energy... so I guess baseballs are level 3+... a 2500 lb car moving at 1/10 of a mile an hour has 26 ft lbs of energy... which makes it a lvl 2. and if you make the car 250 lbs lighter and it is moving at a bit faster than a snails pace of 1/10th of a mile per hour it is a lvl 1... and btw 1/10 of a mph is .146 feet per second or 1.7 inches per second... and a BB that weighs .0011 lbs moving at 210 fps has 24 ft.lbs of KE ... so the BB is a lvl 1 also.... the thing to remember is dont walk within 75 feet of trees on a windy day, it could fall over on you...
Question: Even with a parachute, wouldn't you have to be flying at some certain altitude in order for it to deploy and slow down enough to reduce the kinetic energy enough? Thanks for the video!
Correct. Most parachutes have minimum altitudes so it is likely that cat 2 and 3 drones will have a minimum altitude requirement.
Great video. For testing, ascending at the time of impact will cause the rotors to spin faster for a stronger impact.
The Mini 3 Pro has rubberized tips on the standard rotors which "may" reduce the chance of lacerations since it is a slightly larger impact area which would be a blunt impact versus the thinner tipped rotors used in the testing. Of course when this video was recorded the M3P wasn't available.
I can confirm the Mavic Pro 1 can cause bleeding lacerations at maybe 5-7 MPH. I "thought" I had pulled the stick down enough to do the automatic landing, but I had not. When I pulled the sticks in and down to turn off the rotors, the drone moved forward and to the side which caused it to hit me across the stomach, hip and thigh as it fell. No damage to the drone at all, but I had 7 rotor strikes hard enough to leave marks and blood blisters, and 3 of those strikes drew blood where I put Neosporin and band-aids on them. One of those that bled was a strike THROUGH my shirt.
Kinetic energy is basically weight x speed squared. So a 1 kilogram object moving at 10 meters per second would have 50 units of J or Joules for the physics term. A 2 kilogram object moving at 5 meters per second would have 25% energy rating of Joules, so speed is the bigger factor.
I flew rc planes for years. They're far more dangerous than drones. The rules for drones are too constricting
What kind of kinetic energy does a 737 put out lololol also being serious ?
Enough to take it to the scene of the crash 😂🤣😑😐
I belong to an AMA sanctioned Radio control Club. We often have a lot of people attending our field and have shelters for pilots and others to stand under. I do not get above 400' and do not fly over people. Safety is paramount . I am more afraid of the Helicopter pilots doing Crazy maneuvers like Tic-Toc. 6' head rotors and 20 lb +. Scary. Can anything be done about that.
I have my FAA UAS registration so I can fly.
So what your saying is I need a parachute for my Mini 2...?
No. The parachute is not a method of compliance for category 1. You just can't fly it over people at the moment unless you have a Japanese battery that makes it 249g with prop guards.
Thank you for taking the time to better explain the FAA regulations. It always helps to have the best understanding of sometime and not have to guess.
I picked up my Mavic Pro after flying my Tello and it was pretty obvious that I would not want to chance flying over people with the MP. It's a brick. The Tello with full prop guards weights about 110 grams so if I'm understanding the definitions you provided it would qualify as a category 1 drone.
They will Just higher the Standards as soon as a lighter drone is born, instead of 249gr they will make it 200gr 🤦🏼♂️
It's there rules, their game and they are sore losers. Enjoy flying g while you can, eventually, Amazon's and companies alike will want laws passed with no hobby drones in the sky's.
I just don't put it past them. 🤷🏻♂️
Been flying drones for years. Very hard to see a scenario where you plow your drone into a person , now dropping out of the sky on somebody’s head. Now that’s another story . All in all , just forget about flying your drone anywhere people see you .
Transiting vs transitioning. Big difference!
2x speed saved my attention span on this video. Lol. Protective glasses until I'm comfortable flying it, it is. Lacerations on body is no biggy.
Interesting....Now compare flying over someone to all the government cameras following you around your city.
Rather subjective .. many similar tests online and on youtube have determined the Mini and Mini 2 do NOT cause lacerations. What constitutes a Laceration is also debatable. Also it seems the FAA would use these laws backwards .. if your drone cuts somebody.. then they will arrest you for a violation, but not for just flying over people.
My grandfather used to work for a pharmaceutical company. If the FAA is like the FDA, the testing and approval process is very expensive and takes tons of time.
Well thank God we can’t fly over highways. I’d hate to lacerate a Peterbuilt, they’re so shiny and majestic....😂 (yes, i understand why, this is a joke.... just.... fyi... sarcasm).
I assumed all drones under 0.55 are easily thrown off course! I bought two both TSRC a Q7 and Q8 (0.39 G)! More weight better stabilityt? WRONG... I was cut! The drone lunged forward 1st lift off then towards me when I got cut. I switched to mode 2 (in door mode) without gps assistance it was fine. Things can contribute, 1 signal interference.... 2 weather conditions 3 make sure you calibrate with each use. Holy Stone is listed as a great drone, I'd like to know if the reviews are written by actual users of the product 😂
You're assuming everyone who watches your videos is American. It is a big world out there and not one country. The FAA can FO for what I care. But your points are true to be aware of harm they can cause. Just don't assume you have only audience.
I NEVER fly over people, one time my drone battery disconnected at 175 feet and it made a 1 in hole in the ground, just think if it hit someone, (typhoon H plus)
Excellent straight-forward video on the most difficult part of the Part 107 exam! Good job! Unfortunately, not good news for Mavic Pro or Phantom pilots.
There are quite a few cinewhoops available today that are under 250g that are capable of 4k video. Cinewhoops are ducted quads, and the ducts perform as prop guards. Flight time are usually in the 4 to 6 minutes and all it takes is time on the sticks to learn to fly fpv.
I was recently testing my DJI mini (the origianal) and it had a nick on the blade that I did not see before flying. It caused the drone to fly sideways. I was testing it indoors and instinctively put out my foot to prevent it from hitting anything. I was wearing shorts and it gave me 2 significant lacerations. Dumb, yes. But I can assure you this little drone can do some damage. I have am ambulance company and had to go to my supplies for some 4x4s and tape to stop the bleeding. No stiches needed. But close.
If the FAA wasn't full of idiots, they would simply exempt prop guards from inclusion in the gross weight of the drone.
now there needs to be a difinative description of laceration, how deep does it have to go to be considered a deep scratch or a laceration. A cut on the forehead only has to go about 1/5th of an inch to show bone but several inches to see bone on the upper leg...
Most folks will be out of category - therefore, apply for the waiver. FAA Drone Zone waiver process is quite good at suggesting what exceptions that you can apply for.
I like to film trains and boats (barges on the river) I am never directly above and stay away to the side usually no closer than 30ft distance and generally at 50-100ft height I still have not got my 107 so I don't post them yet because of monetization. Can anyone answer if that is ok, I am still not sure after watching.
i always tell observers around its safer behind me than in front of me. i would rather hurt myself than someone else
I bought a drone with prop guards first hit on one broke, Many drones don't come with any prop guards even though my intent is not to fly anywhere near people. You state transition crossing over a highway/road with moving vehicles is ok make there own wind/turbulence easily throwing a sub under 0.55 grams off course. My question... could you buy insurance because you may cause damage to skin or accidental damage to property unintentionally?
So you can preform sustained flight over people... but not vehicles. 🤔🤯
Because that makes sense and sounds safe!
Curious what the differentiation between CAT I and CAT II are, they seem to have the same limitations/ allowances.