New Jersey Drunk Droning Added to Current Regulations

Bring the drone, leave the beer, and don't even think about droning over that national park or high school football game. Droning regulation is growing and the 41st state to join in the strengthening of Unmanned Aircraft State Laws, New Jersey, is now the first state to also ban drunk droning. Perhaps this isn't such a bad idea, since drones can actually be rather dangerous. Steven Cohen, a New Jersian that heads the national Drone User Group Network says that they are like a "flying blender."  A quick google search will reveal that drone crashes are actually pretty common, and in August 2016, Independent UK reported about a woman that died in a possible drone-related accident.Other states are also interested in making drunk droning illegal.

Honestly, if we consider how accessible drones have become in the last five years, it is no surprise that their users are facing stronger regulations to curb careless and inconsiderate piloting. For only a few hundred dollars, anyone can have one of these flying cameras, but there is more to a drone than just purchasing it, taking it out of the box, and then flying it wherever you like. Owning a device like this comes with responsibility, and in some places, you can be fined up to $1,000 for breaking certain laws. In fact, it is considered an unmanned aircraft system (UAS), and it requires registration through the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

If you are interested in owning and operating a drone, make sure that you become familiar with your state's droning laws, as some are more strict than others. Therefore, if you plan on traveling to another state, make sure that you are aware about the laws of the state you will being visiting.  If you are aiming to fly a drone for non-recreational use, the rules are also a bit different.

There are two ways that an individual operator can choose to legally fly their drone.

1. Fly in accordance with the Special Rule for Model Aircraft

OR

2. Fly under the FAA's Small UAS Rule (requires an FAA Remote Pilot Certificate)

Again, complying with federal drone laws is important, but only half of the picture.  Initially, drone use was minimally controlled through federal law, but now things have significantly changed. Be sure to learn the laws for the state that you will be droning in.  If you make sure that you cover all necessary bases, then you can rest easy as you enjoy amazing photography and video from your device up in public airspace.