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Here's the answers for everyone who has questions. As an FAA Safety Team Member (24891, https://www.faasafety.gov/FAASTApp/directory/view.aspx?appID=24891 http

Here's the answers for everyone who has questions. As an FAA Safety Team Member (24891, https://www.faasafety.gov/FAASTApp/directory/view.aspx?appID=24891 https://www.faasafety.gov/FAASTApp/directory/view.aspx?appID...), I can shed more light on this. The FAA owns the skies and provides waivers and this was probably a waived operation from the FAA so they were probably coordinating this on the ground. Cities, and states can pass laws about where it's legal to operate drones, but no city or state may pass a law restricting the "navigable airspace". New York City's ordinance states that it's "illegal to operate drones from NYC and Manhattan" but that's as far as they can go. It's up to the FAA to decide if an operation is a threat to the public and whether it can be done safely. For drone swarms, the controllers are pre-programmed and have RTK modules providing additional accuracy down to the cm or millimeter compared to meters from GPS and once the modules are loaded and launched the flight can be executed autonomously (however, most of these light shows don't have any sensors so collision avoidance is really within the swarm itself and careful planning to avoid manned aircraft and buildings). If you'd like to see one of these shows in action from the air (self plug), I have a video from the Independence Day show that occurred in Miami on my channel here -> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWO3Bo1y3B8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWO3Bo1y3B8

GoOnThenDoTell 4y ago
There are plenty of other ways to indirectly ban something
- WrtCdEvrydy 4y ago
  The FAA owns the sky. As long as they deemed the risk of property damage, injury and loss of life was properly mitigated to aircraft and people on the ground, and the operation was performed within the constraints of the waiver they have the ultimate power here... however nothing here is being done in the shadows. Part 107 (commercial drone operations) waivers are available publicly and can be searched online at https://www.faa.gov/uas/commercial_operators/part_107_waivers/waivers_issued/ https://www.faa.gov/uas/commercial_operators/part_107_waiver.... The waiver for drone swarms will be waiving the drone swarm requirement under "107.35 – Operation of Multiple Small UAS" so you can search there to find who was given the waiver and their contact information.
  - colechristensen 4y ago
    I bet you could ban an aspect of a stunt like this not related to flight, like advertising without a permit or something along those lines. Has anything like this been tested in court?
    - WrtCdEvrydy 4y ago
      The FAA won't ban something unless there's a safety component. Light is covered under the FDA (surprisingly) and there's an interest Defcon talk about jamming Lidar guns (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQtLms02PFM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQtLms02PFM). If you made the argument to the FDA that the lights from the drones are a safety issue... it could be done.
      - colechristensen 4y ago
        Presumably the city could enact an ordinance banning and fining an organization for an areal stunt regardless of if the FAA approves. Of course a city can’t make laws to alter how a federal agency regulates something, but that doesn’t ban there aren’t other avenues.
        WrtCdEvrydy 4y ago
        Flying aircraft in formation is gonna be hard to argue as a hazard... honestly the "light polution" argument would probably be the best one.
  - 6stringmerc 4y ago
    Show me where in your charter it says the FAA owns the sky - it ain’t fucking there so stop writing.
    - USA-RedDragon 4y ago
      49 U.S. Code § 40103 (1)The United States Government has exclusive sovereignty of airspace of the United States. https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/49/40103#:~:text=49%20U.S.%20Code%20%C2%A7%2040103%20%2D%20Sovereignty%20and%20use%20of%20airspace,-U.S.%20Code&text=The%20United%20States%20Government%20has,airspace%20of%20the%20United%20States https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/49/40103#:~:text=49%...
foobarbecue 4y ago
Semantics, but RTK is GPS too.
- WrtCdEvrydy 4y ago
  That is correct, maybe I mistyped something on the way to writing that wall of text.
6stringmerc 4y ago
- WrtCdEvrydy 4y ago
  > I own the airspace and you’re my employee, get it fucking straight. Not sure about this one... why would you believe I am your employee? > you are pompous as shit. Willing to listen to this one. > dual mandate clowns are a fucking joke and we all know it. The FAA Safety Team's mandate is as follows "Lower the Nation’s aviation accident rate by conveying safety principles and practices through training, outreach, and education; while establishing partnerships and encouraging the continual growth of a positive safety culture within the aviation community." You may refer to it at https://www.faasafety.gov/about/mission.aspx https://www.faasafety.gov/about/mission.aspx
  - 6stringmerc 4y ago
    The only thing the FAA owns is killing that poor woman for being too comfy with SWA and not doing your job. People should have gone to jail for that. You are my employee to make sure shit doesn’t fall out of the sky. You are a steward of the sky. I asked my commercial airline pilot friend and he agrees that you in a public international forum claiming your employer owns the sky MUST BE CORRECTED ON THE RECORD. You are clowns which is why the NTSB writes the real reports. I worked closely with the FRA too. Both FAA and the FRA are political entities and revolving doors that barely do their job. Great work on the ATC upgrades these past 10 years. Part 91 says you don’t own shit. Telling everybody “my dad owns the skies” is a shithead move. I wonder if you’re in the Midwest region because I’m about to report a direct conflict of interest from your little revolving door. I’m right and you’re wrong, start being honest or be willing to be treated like a child.

GoOnThenDoTell 4y ago

There are plenty of other ways to indirectly ban something

WrtCdEvrydy 4y ago
The FAA owns the sky. As long as they deemed the risk of property damage, injury and loss of life was properly mitigated to aircraft and people on the ground, and the operation was performed within the constraints of the waiver they have the ultimate power here... however nothing here is being done in the shadows. Part 107 (commercial drone operations) waivers are available publicly and can be searched online at https://www.faa.gov/uas/commercial_operators/part_107_waivers/waivers_issued/ https://www.faa.gov/uas/commercial_operators/part_107_waiver.... The waiver for drone swarms will be waiving the drone swarm requirement under "107.35 – Operation of Multiple Small UAS" so you can search there to find who was given the waiver and their contact information.
- colechristensen 4y ago
  I bet you could ban an aspect of a stunt like this not related to flight, like advertising without a permit or something along those lines. Has anything like this been tested in court?
  - WrtCdEvrydy 4y ago
    The FAA won't ban something unless there's a safety component. Light is covered under the FDA (surprisingly) and there's an interest Defcon talk about jamming Lidar guns (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQtLms02PFM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQtLms02PFM). If you made the argument to the FDA that the lights from the drones are a safety issue... it could be done.
    - colechristensen 4y ago
      Presumably the city could enact an ordinance banning and fining an organization for an areal stunt regardless of if the FAA approves. Of course a city can’t make laws to alter how a federal agency regulates something, but that doesn’t ban there aren’t other avenues.
      - WrtCdEvrydy 4y ago
        Flying aircraft in formation is gonna be hard to argue as a hazard... honestly the "light polution" argument would probably be the best one.
- 6stringmerc 4y ago
  Show me where in your charter it says the FAA owns the sky - it ain’t fucking there so stop writing.
  - USA-RedDragon 4y ago
    49 U.S. Code § 40103 (1)The United States Government has exclusive sovereignty of airspace of the United States. https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/49/40103#:~:text=49%20U.S.%20Code%20%C2%A7%2040103%20%2D%20Sovereignty%20and%20use%20of%20airspace,-U.S.%20Code&text=The%20United%20States%20Government%20has,airspace%20of%20the%20United%20States https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/49/40103#:~:text=49%...

foobarbecue 4y ago

Semantics, but RTK is GPS too.

WrtCdEvrydy 4y ago
That is correct, maybe I mistyped something on the way to writing that wall of text.

6stringmerc 4y ago

WrtCdEvrydy 4y ago
> I own the airspace and you’re my employee, get it fucking straight. Not sure about this one... why would you believe I am your employee? > you are pompous as shit. Willing to listen to this one. > dual mandate clowns are a fucking joke and we all know it. The FAA Safety Team's mandate is as follows "Lower the Nation’s aviation accident rate by conveying safety principles and practices through training, outreach, and education; while establishing partnerships and encouraging the continual growth of a positive safety culture within the aviation community." You may refer to it at https://www.faasafety.gov/about/mission.aspx https://www.faasafety.gov/about/mission.aspx
- 6stringmerc 4y ago
  The only thing the FAA owns is killing that poor woman for being too comfy with SWA and not doing your job. People should have gone to jail for that. You are my employee to make sure shit doesn’t fall out of the sky. You are a steward of the sky. I asked my commercial airline pilot friend and he agrees that you in a public international forum claiming your employer owns the sky MUST BE CORRECTED ON THE RECORD. You are clowns which is why the NTSB writes the real reports. I worked closely with the FRA too. Both FAA and the FRA are political entities and revolving doors that barely do their job. Great work on the ATC upgrades these past 10 years. Part 91 says you don’t own shit. Telling everybody “my dad owns the skies” is a shithead move. I wonder if you’re in the Midwest region because I’m about to report a direct conflict of interest from your little revolving door. I’m right and you’re wrong, start being honest or be willing to be treated like a child.