“The software will not allow you to fly in restricted areas, like the base, airports or like over prisons or jails,” said Noelker, who is licensed to fly a commercial drone.
The drone will stop in midair, he said, and a warning will appear on the control panel saying it’s reached a restricted area and that you can’t fly over it.
There are ways to override it, Noelker said, but it requires obtaining a code from the software company so that it can track who the person operating the drone is. A drone cannot generally fly into restricted airspace without prior authorization from the relevant aviation authority, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
The FAA uses the term “No Drone Zone” to help people identify areas where they cannot operate a drone or an unmanned aircraft system. The operating restrictions for a No Drone Zone are specific to a particular location, the FAA says. You can find out if there are airspace restrictions where you are planning to fly using the B4UFLY mobile app. Visit faa.gov/uas/getting_started/b4ufly for more information.
Flying a drone into restricted airspace could result in fines up to $75,000, according to the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024. The FAA also can suspend or revoke drone operators’ pilot certificates.
In August, the FAA said it proposed $341,413 in civil penalties against 27 people who violated federal drone regulations. The FAA issued the fines between October 2022 and June 2024.
One of the fines included a fine of $7,760 against a person who operated an unregistered drone using first person view inside Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati on Jan. 15, 2022. The operator flew over the crowd during an NFL game at night, did not have a Remote Pilot Certificate and flew beyond-visual-line-of-sight in a Temporary Flight Restriction without an approved FAA airspace waiver, the FAA said.
“Violating the drone regulations puts lives at risk in the air and on the ground,” said FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker. “Flying a small drone means you are flying an aircraft, and unsafe behavior will cost you.”
Credit: JIM NOELKER
Credit: JIM NOELKER
All drones must be registered, except those that weigh 0.55 pounds or less, according to the FAA. There are 791,597 drones registered with the FAA.
The flight time for the Dayton Daily News’ DJI drone is only about 15-20 minutes before its battery dies.
“When I fly, I think of it as a mission,” Noelker said. “This is what I’m going to do. This is how I’m going to do it. I check for obstructions anywhere I’m around. I get upwind or downwind from when I’m going to fly so I can fly back with the tailwind, and then I just do the thing and then come back. I don’t play around.”
For more resources on flying a drone, visit faa.gov/uas.
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