Here is my question:  Someone sees a drone over their house 
{yeah, it happened to us. My wife freaked out even though I fly drones.
Ok, she could have had on more clothes, but we were in our back yard!}. 
How do we know if it is recreational, someone just having some fun, are 
they spying on us, do they want to get a closer look at my wife, do they 
have some nefarious intentions. We don't know. You don't know. So, if a 
citizen calls the cops, are they going to come and check it out. Well, maybe 
they won't, but my guess is that they will. When Remote ID goes into 
effect full force, then we would be able to snag the ID number and give
it to the police to investigate. THAT, my friend, is very likely to happen.
THAT is the real intent of Remote ID...so that a drone can be identified
and the pilot can be identified... located and even investigated.  So...
would this be considered enforcement ??

I have already seen some ads from the FAA suggesting that average
citizens should report any drone activity for investigation because you 
can not tell the intent of the drone or pilot. They want people to call 
the authorities and have someone come out and investigate. Yeah, it
will probably be a cop who may or may not like it, but they WILL come.

I beleive that these new regulations might usher in a new dawn, a new day,
a new approach. Who knows. In any event, the ground work will be laid. 
The manufacturers are already mandated to only make drones with Remote 
ID {at least the ones that weigh more than 250 grams}. That is happening
now...in just a few months. This train is coming down the tracks and I don't
think that we can stop it. I don't necessarily agree with it and it may not be
right, but it is certainly REAL. 

Yes, it is REAL, no doubt.. but, that is IF that drone has remote ID.. and IF, local LE does a “investigation”.. unless a law is broken.. only a report will be filed.
Simple possible situation .. your wife /friend /neighbor sees a “drone” flying over their house.. LE checks remote ID.. and it is a “delivery drone”. They won’t call back and say “mam .. it’s fine. It’s ur Amazon delivery”..
Local LE has more to deal with than some middle aged guy, checking out the neighbors..
Nefarious acts, next time u go to a public place such as the beach… there are plenty of “creepers” there w/ cameras photographing little kids EVERY DAY..
Yes, at first, it will be a knee jerk reaction to enforce.. just like any new “law”… but trust me.. it will subside..
He’ll, now, LE is giving city ordnance tickets for weed under a oz.
It’s gonna be “the new shinny”… but like I said.. in court.. showing the judge.. “a toy”…yes it is the “law” but it’s about “perspective” … look up some “laws” where u are..did u know some “personal exploits” with ur souse is illegal in the state of Ga.
Again.. I am strictly speaking as a hobbiest..
Guys like JB, and any stateside will be directly effected and be guanine pigs and be put in harms way. LOS, who is to say they don’t have a observer? It’s gonna be a complete sh*t show..and a how right do u want to be fight.. it’s a loosing battle taking this head on.. gotta think outside the box and attack from another angle..

Hi Rob,

Yeah, you are probably correct. In most cases, there will
likely be very little actual enforcement. I agree that the
enforcement will be the "Devil in the Details" and likely
near impossible to actually implement. 

Hey, it’s like a lot of people are saying.. “I fly in places where no one is .. not in “public”, by myself..not to bring attention to myself…
That is ur 4th pilot…
It will be a rough road for all the guys creating content (state side).. gonna be curious how they will weather the storm ..

“I fly in places where no one is .. not in “public”

You just described me for the most part. I tend to fly out in places where people are laid back, or it's the middle of nowhere. I don't want to deal with Karens and I don't want to deal with cops. As long as I'm not bothering anyone, or even known for that matter, who will care? It really feels like this whole mess is for the likes of Amazon and other companies who want to do their "drone delivery" gimmick, and they want us out of the way. If they wanna make me happy, put these regulations on controlled airspace only, and leave the countryside alone. Complying with over-regulation only leads to needing to comply more in the future.

Unless they can learn to compromise with the people that were here first, they'll not have our respect.

Unfortunately, I don't have any really good places to fly. There is a small public
park a few blocks away, but I don't fly when there are a lot of people or police 
cars are parked there. They might just be "relaxing", but I just don't think that it is 
prudent. By being careful, I have been able to do test flights in that location even
with my Rescue Quad. 

We have a property in a rural area that I was really hopeful about being able to 
fly, however, there is so much manned aircraft traffic that it is unbelievable. I think
that area is a "practice" area for new pilots. Yeah, these guys fly LOW. So low that
I can often read the markings on the wings. If I tried to fly at altitude, I would likely
be right in the same airspace. Yeah, that wouldn't be good. I am pretty sure that
they would call the FAA and report me. Yep, I don't need that. 

I am always on the search for any decent place to fly.

At what point does a DIY assembly becomes a "drone" that falls under regulation?
Is it still a drone if it has some combination of components removed/disconnected?

(31-Jul-2022, 07:36 PM)leestrong Wrote: At what point does a DIY assembly becomes a "drone" that falls under regulation?
Is it still a drone if it has some combination of components removed/disconnected?

All drones that are greater than 250g fall under the Remote ID regulations. So whether it be a BNF quad or one you built yourself it still requires a Remote ID module to be installed, by the manufacturer if is a BNF, and by you if it is a self build.

Only drones of 250g or less won't require a Remote ID device on it for recreational flying, but they will if you fly them under the context of a Part 107 license.

Cops aren't policing real crimes, larceny, vandalism you name it. You think they're going to go after a guy flying a toy at the park for some fed agency?

(31-Jul-2022, 09:29 PM)SnowLeopardFPV Wrote: All drones that are greater than 250g fall under the Remote ID regulations. So whether it be a BNF quad or one you built yourself it still requires a Remote ID module to be installed, by the manufacturer if is a BNF, and by you if it is a self build.

Only drones of 250g or less won't require a Remote ID device on it for recreational flying, but they will if you fly them under the context of a Part 107 license.

Hi SnowLeopard, I understand what you are saying, but the definition of "drone" is not clear to me. If all the props are removed, or motors de-soldered, it certainly couldn't fly, does it still count as a drone? Or perhaps this is uncharted territory that needs to be sorted out in future court cases?

I am interested in knowing because this determines the minimum required disassembly effort for retiring a 250g+ drone to storage without violating regulations.

(31-Jul-2022, 12:10 AM)iFly4rotors Wrote: 1)  Those who get a Part 107 license, fly with Remote ID, and fly within the FAA regulations.

Youtube influencers and professional pilots.

Quote:2)  Those who become purely recreational, fly unregistered Category 1 drones, don't get a
     Part 107 license, and follow the FAA regulations as per the "Recreational Exemption".

The people who don't want the hassle.

Quote:3)  Those who really don't care. They do what they want, and could care less about the 
regulations. Hey, I guess if it works for them. 

Most of the people of this board and probably most of all drone pilots who fly for fun and generally fly in places you won't find other people and also don't particularly like the government and its Orwellian tactics.

-------

I think most people will fall in 2 or 3. Only the Youtubers and professional pilots will fall into 1.

(31-Jul-2022, 09:59 PM)leestrong Wrote: Hi SnowLeopard, I understand what you are saying, but the definition of "drone" is not clear to me. If all the props are removed, or motors de-soldered, it certainly couldn't fly, does it still count as a drone? Or perhaps this is uncharted territory that needs to be sorted out in future court cases?

I am interested in knowing because this determines the minimum required disassembly effort for retiring a 250g+ drone to storage without violating regulations.

RID only needs to be installed and broadcasting from takeoff to landing.

(31-Jul-2022, 09:59 PM)leestrong Wrote: Hi SnowLeopard, I understand what you are saying, but the definition of "drone" is not clear to me. If all the props are removed, or motors de-soldered, it certainly couldn't fly, does it still count as a drone? Or perhaps this is uncharted territory that needs to be sorted out in future court cases?

I am interested in knowing because this determines the minimum required disassembly effort for retiring a 250g+ drone to storage without violating regulations.

Exactly what Lemony said in his reply. For people who do decide to comply they could in theory just buy just a single Remote ID device and then move it between their 251+g quads as they fly each of them.

For anyone who want's a simple and easy to understand walkthrough of what Remote ID is all about and how it will affect drone pilots, have a watch of Russ' video below. He's predominantly a camera drone content creator but all the information he gives out is 100% applicable to any unmanned aircraft including FPV quads.

The biggest worry is that if the sub-250g drone market balloons as a result of Remote ID in order for people to avoid it, the FAA will likely just end up change the requirements to also include all sub-250g drones (or lower the weight threshold to something like 100g).

(31-Jul-2022, 07:36 PM)leestrong Wrote: At what point does a DIY assembly becomes a "drone" that falls under regulation?
Is it still a drone if it has some combination of components removed/disconnected?

Hi Lee,

The simple answer to your question is this...If it flies, it is considered an aircraft.
In the USA, ALL airspace and ALL aircraft is regulated. It may or may not be restricted
and it may fall under specific regulations, but the FAA has jurisdiction over ALL airspace 
and basically anything that flies. There is NOTHING in the airspace that is outside the FAA's 
jurisdiction and nothing that flies falls outside of the regulations. If it flies and is in the USA 
airspace, then it is regulated even if it is 1 inch off the ground in your own back yard.

Congress defined a "model aircraft" as a UAS that meets all of the following:

• Is capable of sustained flight in the atmosphere
  
• Is flown within visual line-of-sight of the person operating it
  
• Is flown for hobby or recreational purpose
  

Basically, anything becomes an aircraft when it is capable of sustained flight in 
the atmosphere; it FLIES.  There is no mention as to how or why the flight is 
sustained only that it can essentially fly. If it flies, it is an aircraft. If it is unmanned, 
it is a drone. If it is remote controlled, then it becomes part of an Unmanned Aircraft 
System or UAS.

If it is unmanned, then, by definition it is an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, UAV, or drone:

A drone is a type of aircraft that does not have a pilot and is controlled by 
someone on the ground.

Now, what you can get away with...or...what is actually enforceable is a totally different
issue. You know, it is like speeding. If you don't get caught...right. Even so, it does not
remove the fact that ALL airspace is regulated and ALL things that fly, capable of 
sustained flight in the atmosphere, are also regulated. It just is what it is.

If you want to be legal, follow the regulations. 
If you want to be legal, but don't want to register your drone, 
build a Category 1 {sub-250 gram} craft.

If you live outside the USA and outside the authority of the FAA,
then your regulations may be different. Refer to the regulating
authority for your airspace.