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by fh973 2428 days ago
Great, it's a toy! Seriously, with 249g, drone laws do not apply (start with 250g) and you can do whatever you want with it in public.
7 comments

Well it's great that you don't need to get a permit in order to fly this drone, but that doesn't mean you should do whatever you want with it in public.
it's five dollars and filling out a web form. its not exactly onerous requirement.
What they are referring too is that you still shouldn't operate these drones where they are not allowed just because they weight less than some FAA weight limit.
And I know people are like, "Well, just follow the rules!", and they should... some people fly drones stupidly.

BUT - it's worth pointing out that if you live in some cities like Boston, that it is nearly impossible to fly a drone in city limits. Or Cambridge. Or Somerville. Check out the maps on Skyvector; it's 70/SFC, until you're in Watertown, parts of Quincy of north of Lynn. The FAA says to call the tower for permission; and I've spoken to the tower at Logan, and they said the FAA told them to not grant anyone permission (this was 2 years ago admittedly).

So having a little micro drone that you can fly 30 ft in the air around your house legally since it's under the weight limit? Pretty neat.

So even though it’s under the limit, would one recommend not being overly cautious by registering it since that could be used against a registrant if they fly it where drones requiring registration aren’t allowed to fly?
I'm not sure. This feels a little like 49cc scooters (most states have 50cc license/registration requirements). The DMV in many states will look at you funny if you try to go register one to get a plate. It's literally 1cc under, purposefully, because it's "not a motor vehicle" - despite it having a motor and being a vehicle. Using the same logic, I'd argue this "isn't a UAV/drone", despite by all other metrics it looking just like one.

But I could see people going either way.

AFAIK, it used to be that you needed to notify the airport (not to ask for permission) if you were flying within five miles of it. It looks like now you use LAANC.
As a Somerville resident thanks for the info!

Does it just need to pass the FAA requirements or are there local police requirements?

No idea. IANAL
Are you sure about the "do whatever you want" part? Just because there is no need to register with the FAA doesn't mean the FAA rules do no apply.
Can you fly it in cities? Even if they're near airports?
Uh, not so fast. My state as well as others do not permit any drone within state parks and some exclude most public areas. So while you might slip under a Federal Law don't assume the state just doesn't have a blanket restriction.
Can one fly it in National Parks?
No. That restriction is not based on weight or size.
No.
One thing about light weight drones is that they do struggle with wind.
> ... drone laws do not apply ...

It's good practice on forums with a global membership, especially when talking about a Chinese company's latest product, to specific where you are / which country's laws you're talking about.