I don't agree. A more apropos analogy to flight, based on the article, is if you do all your full scale due diligence, including following all rules set by the

I don't agree. A more apropos analogy to flight, based on the article, is if you do all your full scale due diligence, including following all rules set by the FAA, and then you get fined because buried in a small town's ordinance is a law saying you're not allowed to fly over a certain farming field, the result of that field's resident complaining that your small plane was spying and invading their privacy. Drones present a much lower risk profile, so it is not surprising that drone operators are subject to fewer rules. > Having said that, there are tools that facilitate planning a flight (in a safe and lawful manner), and having something similar for drones would obviously be great. That... is exactly the subject matter of the article. The FAA, the government agency governing airspace in the USA, has an app that purportedly tells the drone operator when it is or isn't OK to fly. The problem is that the operator cannot rely on it, because of local laws which may prohibit drone flight. The article's author was an AMA member, which means he has insurance. He is obviously the kind of consumer drone operator you want more of, he has downloaded the FAA's app and is trying his best to make sure he flies legally. The drone he's flying is a tiny 300g, almost "toy" grade drone from parrot. It should not be this difficult to fly a drone legally.