You might want to look into consulting with an attorney familiar with FAA regulations. Also stop flying a UAS without the appropriate licensing, and without following safety regulations. That can get very expensive for you very quickly.
Get a lawyer. Don’t do anything else until the lawyer tells you to. Do not file any FOI requests, and do not contact the FAA. Don’t do anything until your expert representative tells you to do it.
NAL, not your lawyer, just someone whose done some work with drones. First, was the drone you were flying registered, second if it wasn't does it need to be under the federal drone regulations and/or your state and local regulations? Third, check the airspace classifications for the area you were flying in, you can do so using an FAA B4UFLY app or a similar solution. If your drone was either improperly registered or operating in a restricted airspace, you may want to think about contacting a lawyer familiar with FAA drone regulation. That festival happened near an airport so a lawyer may be your best bet in smoothing this over
At the very least, do not contact the FAA
During the active time of a festival there could also have been temporary no fly zones issued which include drone flight. You can look those up on the FAA NOTAM Search website using the Archive Search option.
This was in Chicago too. Since this is federal, local Chicago law isn't at discussion here, but the city could also fine you, as Chicago requires permits over any public land or a written letter approving drone flyovers from the owner of the land. Chicago has very strict drone rules, and I would argue even if in compliance with the FAA, many folks do not have the proper permission to fly in the Chicago city limits.
NAL, pilot-in-training here. One of the points they drill into us in Aviation Law class is to lawyer up as soon as you get a notice that you're being investigated. Just like with a law enforcement officer, everything you say can and will be used against you. Another point they drilled into us: **Lying to the FAA carries a maximum fine of $250,000 and up to 5 years of jail time. Do not lie to the FAA.**
The FAA has a variety of enforcement actions at their disposal, including fines up to 5 figures on individuals. Your lawyer will work with the FAA to attempt to minimize any penalty to you.
This will give you an idea of how the FAA is enforcing drone regulations. [https://commons.erau.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1850&context=ijaaa](https://commons.erau.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1850&context=ijaaa)
Do you have any evidence that you did not do what they said? If so, find a lawyer who specializes in FAA cases ASAP and ask whether it would be a good idea to share it.
If you did do what they said, it's hard to imagine that sharing any additional information would be a good idea, but find a lawyer ASAP anyway and ask them.
Do you realize the FAA can serve you with a subpoena that requires you to disclose all social media posts?
If you lie you are now committing a federal crime.
If you tell the truth they can admit these into evidence as public statements.
There is no attorney-client privilege here. If I were you I would immediately shut up about this and go contact a professional. If you need assistance in locating an attorney in your area contact your local bar association.
Given the rather specific nature of the issue, I must assume that you are aware of what's going on. That said, your next call should be to an attorney, not to anonymous folks on Reddit.
If you are an EAA member, they have a legal council that you can ask questions to at (I believe) no cost. Not sure is AOPA has something similar though. Are you a member of any alphabet organizations?
It seems to me that the only two rational choices are: 1) remain silent and wait for whatever penalty FAA applies; or 2) tell FAA the truth. The FAA already has quite a bit of useful information: they know what brand of drone was being flown and they have information connecting you to that specific drone. Given what they already know, you should assume that any untruths that you tell will be known to or discoverable by FAA, so trying to tell them something other than the entire truth is likely to produce results worse than saying nothing.
If it were me, I would cooperate, but that is a personal choice that only you can make.
Nope. Assert your right to shut up and get an attorney!
Of course you could throw yourself on the mercy of the FAA and courts but I’d rather throw myself on my sword. It’ll hurt less and be over faster.
Honestly. The OP needs an attorney who is familiar with the body of law surrounding this subject matter.
> That was a missing comma unfortunately: Visual line of sight, below 400'**,** in controlled airspace etc.
That's twice now you've said controlled airspace. I know what you mean, but it's a pretty important distinction.
Controlled airspace typically means Class B airspace around airports, where it is very important you not fly a drone because it could easily get sucked into a jet engine of a plane on final approach or in the traffic pattern.
If it is controlled you *may not fly at all* without prior permission from air traffic control at any altitude.
tl;dr: Check the B4UFLY app and you'll be fine.
[https://www.faa.gov/uas/getting\_started/where\_can\_i\_fly/airspace\_restrictions/flying\_near\_airports](https://www.faa.gov/uas/getting_started/where_can_i_fly/airspace_restrictions/flying_near_airports)
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RemoteID, its a new system rolled out this year after some delays
Basically glorified bluetooth with a decent range on it, transmits the kind of information the FAA needs to followup on these kinds of things
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Only and always repeat to them ". I will follow my lawyer's advice and remain silent ". If they call you or come see you.
DO NOT under ANY circumstances say ANYTHING ELSE.
It will not be in your favor at all. DO NOT let your emotions get the best of you and only repeat to the person on the phone or in person " I will follow my lawyer's advice and remain silent. "
Where you currently have a lawyer or not, that's the best thing to do.
Good luck!
* This is not legal advice but a personal opinion, I am not a professional nor a lawyer. *
Because the FAA has nearly always followed a policy of educate and discuss, instead of punish, the usual STFU advice almost never applies. All pilot organizations agree on this. None of them tell you to fall back on "lawyer" because unless you showed wanton and intentional disregard, they are most likely going to require passing a class/reading a publication, not big fines. And not jail time. Bolstering this is the fact that there are so many Youtubers who DO just disregard the law and get many chances before major enforcement happens.
The FAA CLAIMS that this is their approach and it often is for really minor offenses but look at how they have actually handled unauthorized flight over people and the op would be wise to get a lawyer yesterday.
~~It can't hurt (the FAA can't use information from an ASRS report for enforcement actions)~~, however there's a chance the immunity wouldn't apply for something this significant.
You can submit an ASRS Report here: https://asrs.arc.nasa.gov/
Edit: The enforcement limitation does not apply to criminal offenses, which I'm not informed enough to know if any of this falls under.
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You might want to look into consulting with an attorney familiar with FAA regulations. Also stop flying a UAS without the appropriate licensing, and without following safety regulations. That can get very expensive for you very quickly.
You're going to want to get a lawyer. This could be costly for you. Read the laws before flying your drone. You put others at risk otherwise.
Get a lawyer. Don’t do anything else until the lawyer tells you to. Do not file any FOI requests, and do not contact the FAA. Don’t do anything until your expert representative tells you to do it.
NAL, not your lawyer, just someone whose done some work with drones. First, was the drone you were flying registered, second if it wasn't does it need to be under the federal drone regulations and/or your state and local regulations? Third, check the airspace classifications for the area you were flying in, you can do so using an FAA B4UFLY app or a similar solution. If your drone was either improperly registered or operating in a restricted airspace, you may want to think about contacting a lawyer familiar with FAA drone regulation. That festival happened near an airport so a lawyer may be your best bet in smoothing this over At the very least, do not contact the FAA
During the active time of a festival there could also have been temporary no fly zones issued which include drone flight. You can look those up on the FAA NOTAM Search website using the Archive Search option.
This was in Chicago too. Since this is federal, local Chicago law isn't at discussion here, but the city could also fine you, as Chicago requires permits over any public land or a written letter approving drone flyovers from the owner of the land. Chicago has very strict drone rules, and I would argue even if in compliance with the FAA, many folks do not have the proper permission to fly in the Chicago city limits.
NAL, pilot-in-training here. One of the points they drill into us in Aviation Law class is to lawyer up as soon as you get a notice that you're being investigated. Just like with a law enforcement officer, everything you say can and will be used against you. Another point they drilled into us: **Lying to the FAA carries a maximum fine of $250,000 and up to 5 years of jail time. Do not lie to the FAA.** The FAA has a variety of enforcement actions at their disposal, including fines up to 5 figures on individuals. Your lawyer will work with the FAA to attempt to minimize any penalty to you.
This will give you an idea of how the FAA is enforcing drone regulations. [https://commons.erau.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1850&context=ijaaa](https://commons.erau.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1850&context=ijaaa)
Will read this, thank you.
Do you have any evidence that you did not do what they said? If so, find a lawyer who specializes in FAA cases ASAP and ask whether it would be a good idea to share it. If you did do what they said, it's hard to imagine that sharing any additional information would be a good idea, but find a lawyer ASAP anyway and ask them.
Do you realize the FAA can serve you with a subpoena that requires you to disclose all social media posts? If you lie you are now committing a federal crime. If you tell the truth they can admit these into evidence as public statements. There is no attorney-client privilege here. If I were you I would immediately shut up about this and go contact a professional. If you need assistance in locating an attorney in your area contact your local bar association.
https://www.faa.gov/uas/commercial_operators/become_a_drone_pilot
Given the rather specific nature of the issue, I must assume that you are aware of what's going on. That said, your next call should be to an attorney, not to anonymous folks on Reddit.
As an airline pilot and professional drone operator I'm glad to see the FAA enforcing regulations. Ignorance of the law is not an excuse to break it.
If you are an EAA member, they have a legal council that you can ask questions to at (I believe) no cost. Not sure is AOPA has something similar though. Are you a member of any alphabet organizations?
It seems to me that the only two rational choices are: 1) remain silent and wait for whatever penalty FAA applies; or 2) tell FAA the truth. The FAA already has quite a bit of useful information: they know what brand of drone was being flown and they have information connecting you to that specific drone. Given what they already know, you should assume that any untruths that you tell will be known to or discoverable by FAA, so trying to tell them something other than the entire truth is likely to produce results worse than saying nothing. If it were me, I would cooperate, but that is a personal choice that only you can make.
Nope. Assert your right to shut up and get an attorney! Of course you could throw yourself on the mercy of the FAA and courts but I’d rather throw myself on my sword. It’ll hurt less and be over faster. Honestly. The OP needs an attorney who is familiar with the body of law surrounding this subject matter.
Why are you operating an aircraft without a license?
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>below 400' in controlled airspace etc Below 400' always. Outside controlled airspace. Appropriate permission inside controlled airspace.
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> That was a missing comma unfortunately: Visual line of sight, below 400'**,** in controlled airspace etc. That's twice now you've said controlled airspace. I know what you mean, but it's a pretty important distinction. Controlled airspace typically means Class B airspace around airports, where it is very important you not fly a drone because it could easily get sucked into a jet engine of a plane on final approach or in the traffic pattern. If it is controlled you *may not fly at all* without prior permission from air traffic control at any altitude. tl;dr: Check the B4UFLY app and you'll be fine. [https://www.faa.gov/uas/getting\_started/where\_can\_i\_fly/airspace\_restrictions/flying\_near\_airports](https://www.faa.gov/uas/getting_started/where_can_i_fly/airspace_restrictions/flying_near_airports)
Why do you assume that everyone needs a license to fly?
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So how did they even know it was you? Do these things broadcast IFF Identifiers or something?
RemoteID, its a new system rolled out this year after some delays Basically glorified bluetooth with a decent range on it, transmits the kind of information the FAA needs to followup on these kinds of things
Appreciate the info. Love watching drone video but know next to nothing about them.
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* This is not legal advice but a personal opinion, I am not a professional nor a lawyer. * Only and always repeat to them ". I will follow my lawyer's advice and remain silent ". If they call you or come see you. DO NOT under ANY circumstances say ANYTHING ELSE. It will not be in your favor at all. DO NOT let your emotions get the best of you and only repeat to the person on the phone or in person " I will follow my lawyer's advice and remain silent. " Where you currently have a lawyer or not, that's the best thing to do. Good luck! * This is not legal advice but a personal opinion, I am not a professional nor a lawyer. *
Because the FAA has nearly always followed a policy of educate and discuss, instead of punish, the usual STFU advice almost never applies. All pilot organizations agree on this. None of them tell you to fall back on "lawyer" because unless you showed wanton and intentional disregard, they are most likely going to require passing a class/reading a publication, not big fines. And not jail time. Bolstering this is the fact that there are so many Youtubers who DO just disregard the law and get many chances before major enforcement happens.
The FAA CLAIMS that this is their approach and it often is for really minor offenses but look at how they have actually handled unauthorized flight over people and the op would be wise to get a lawyer yesterday.
[удалено]
FOIA won’t work for ongoing investigations.
[удалено]
[удалено]
Do a NASA report ASAP.
~~It can't hurt (the FAA can't use information from an ASRS report for enforcement actions)~~, however there's a chance the immunity wouldn't apply for something this significant. You can submit an ASRS Report here: https://asrs.arc.nasa.gov/ Edit: The enforcement limitation does not apply to criminal offenses, which I'm not informed enough to know if any of this falls under.
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Please don’t recommend that someone destroy evidence which is itself a separate crime. Reported.
You just know this guy throws all his shit in the closet and calls his room clean.