Motion Picture Association of America petition

[Brian Drysdale]

The Motion Picture Association of America has put in a petition to the FAA to requesting them allow the use of drones with PPL operators by giving regulatory exemptions to 7 operators .

Hollywood to FAA: Let us use drones to make movies, TV shows | Ars Technica

Snaproll Media LLC - Exemption Rulemaking

The FAA has given this initial response:

Press Release ? FAA to Consider Exemptions for Commercial UAS Movie and TV Production

[Ralph Gereg]

From what I see, I think this looks promising.... I've heard there s fresh blood in FAA management and they are starting to shake things up a bit. For example, AOPA and EAA have been working for years trying to get the FAA to grant exemptions to the 3rd Class Medical for General Avaiation. Apparently with Congress getting ready to consider legislation that would grant a 3rd Class exemption for Drivers License Medical... the FAA is now opening up a comment period and will also be looking at the same possible rules... something they've successfully blocked for many years now.

[Chuck Spaulding]

This infuriates me! So the FAA will now be in the business of choosing which of us can make money and those that can't.

IT IS NOT ILLEGAL TO USE UAV FOR COMMERCIAL PHOTOGRAPHY. So there is no need for this petition.

Its this sort of thing that totally screws up the regulatory process in the first place. Why do these seven companies deserve any kind of exemption?

[John Cash]

THANK YOU CHUCK! finally ...somebody gets it. Im no anti-goverment fanatic, but this ride has been strange to say the least.

1st- FAA declares themselves King of all air space
2- FAA issues illegal fine
3-citizen goes to court against the FAA and a Federal Judge tells FAA "You have no jurisdiction, no laws and no authority" to regulate model aircraft, commercial or not
4- FAA buddies up with 7 chosen ones ???

ummmmm I dont think thats how it works.

[Dave Blackhurst]

Um John, where have you been for the last few years? That's how EVERYTHING is being done now! Crony "donations" in exchange for "favors", laws that only apply to "some", but not others, competition or supression of opposition by litigation or "administrative actions"...

But yes, it is interesting how SOME organizations are going to the "FAA altar" (Ventura Law enforcement was worshiping there last week according to what I saw on the news here), begging for permission to use UAV's (they called it something else, got to avoid being identified with DRONES, ya know!) for police support.

In THEORY, there is no applicable "law" or jurisdiction, though there probably needs to be some, since "common sense" doesn't always work as expected. So these organizations going begging don't make much sense - they should develop their own flight parameters and guidelines, and start using the technology to good ends and purposes.

LAWS won't prevent misuse and abuse, only provide additional means to prosecute "stupidity" or "disapproved" behavior... The former should be effectively prosecutable ANYWAY, and the latter is a slippery slope to totalitarianism!

[Brian Drysdale]

An ABC article gives a bit of an overview: FAA Considers Approving Drones for Filming Movies - ABC News