Last week a federal judge dismissed a $10,000 fine the FAA had levied against a drone operator, saying there is no law to ban the commercial use of small drones. Small drones are those that fly at less than 400 feet, as opposed to larger military-style drones that share the skies with airplanes and helicopters. The court’s ruling deems small drones to be the same as model airplanes and not subject to current FAA regulations. The FAA had levied the 10K fine against Raphael Pirker for allegedly operating a drone recklessly while filming a commercial for the University of Virginia’s medical school. So far, Pirker is the only person to have a fine levied for using a drone, but the FAA has sent letters and made calls to other drone operators. The FAA announced after the ruling that they would be proposing a rule on small drone use by the end of the year, but in the mean time, it […] → Keep reading