Tags for this video have been changed from 'UAV, FPV, NYC, FAA, unmanned aerial vehicle, first person view, New York City, Federal' to 'unmanned aerial vehicle, first person view, New York City, Federal, brooklyn' - edited by RhesusMonk

>> ^My_design:

This is called FPV flying and in the RC aircraft world it is the up and coming thing. It's facing a ton of opposition because of potential for injury/damage and general misunderstanding of the technology. It takes a fair bit of money and knowledge to put something together that gets good range and image quality like shown. Previous videos done in Brazil and foreign countries have shown flights in populated cities and been blasted in US forums as dangerous risk takers that were going to cause stringent regulation from the FAA. The fear is that the FAA could make the approval of airfields and and flying in general very difficult. The AMA governs much of what happens in RC flight and they have come out with regulations regarding the use of FPV. I can't say what regulations he breaks in this video, but flying among buildings is probably a big one. Unless you fly RC and have seen the multitude of problems that can occur - from batteries literally exploding in flight, to engines seizing, to speed controls catching fire, to servos locking up, to radio glitching - you may not understand the potential for an incident. Let's just say it's far, FAR greater than commercial flight since none of the components used are regulated.


I haven't watched the video yet, it's loading slow because my internet connection is crappy today. The AMA does not have any authority to govern or regulate what happens outside of an AMA approved field. There is no license required to fly an RC plane, and no requirement to join the AMA.

FPV RC flying is probably in a legal gray zone. The FAA could consider them ultralight or microlight aircraft, neither require a license to operate, which are not allowed to operate over populated areas, but by definition of those categories, they would need a seat. If the FPV pilot has an actual pilots license, then the FAA might make a case that they are operating under the new sport pilot rules, and he could lose his license, pay fines and/or go to jail for reckless or careless operations.

I hope the FAA will stay out of it and not force any regulations. The aircraft are small, but still can cause some damage to property. I don't see it needing regulation unless it gets too popular and RC aircraft start falling from the sky on a daily basis.

I've always wanted to build my own UAV, but not an FPV. I want to be able to program a flight path in it, launch it from my yard, and maybe have a 3G modem in it so that I can track/watch it from my computer and give it new coordinates. Then have it return where I can download video and pictures from it.

This is called FPV flying and in the RC aircraft world it is the up and coming thing. It's facing a ton of opposition because of potential for injury/damage and general misunderstanding of the technology. It takes a fair bit of money and knowledge to put something together that gets good range and image quality like shown. Previous videos done in Brazil and foreign countries have shown flights in populated cities and been blasted in US forums as dangerous risk takers that were going to cause stringent regulation from the FAA. The fear is that the FAA could make the approval of airfields and and flying in general very difficult. The AMA governs much of what happens in RC flight and they have come out with regulations regarding the use of FPV. I can't say what regulations he breaks in this video, but flying among buildings is probably a big one. Unless you fly RC and have seen the multitude of problems that can occur - from batteries literally exploding in flight, to engines seizing, to speed controls catching fire, to servos locking up, to radio glitching - you may not understand the potential for an incident. Let's just say it's far, FAR greater than commercial flight since none of the components used are regulated.

Your video, A Video to Make You Cry: A UAV FPV of NYC not IAW FAA, etc., has made it into the Top 15 New Videos listing. Congratulations on your achievement. For your contribution you have been awarded 1 Power Point.

>> ^spoco2:
I was wondering how he tracked things so well with the camera, and if it's tied into a head display that turns with his head, then that's brilliant.
There are head-tracking rigs for "FPV" hobbyists, but I believe this one is manually controlled for left\right panning.