Late last week, drone pilot Raphael Pirker and his lawyer Brendan Schulman won the first-ever case regarding commercial use of unmanned aircraft, with a federal judge dismissing the FAA’s handing of a $10,000 fine to Pirker for flying his unmanned five-foot fixed-wing aircraft over the University of Virginia to record video at the request of the university.
You can read Schulman’s letter detailing the case in Make V37 or online here.
Schulman visited with MAKE at SXSW to discuss the case and the landmark decision, its implications for other pilots, and what the future of drone flight and regulation may hold. Watch and let us know your feelings in the comments below.
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Mike Senese is a content producer with a focus on technology, science, and engineering. He served as Executive Editor of Make: magazine for nearly a decade, and previously was a senior editor at Wired. Mike has also starred in engineering and science shows for Discovery Channel, including Punkin Chunkin, How Stuff Works, and Catch It Keep It.
An avid maker, Mike spends his spare time tinkering with electronics, fixing cars, and attempting to cook the perfect pizza. You might spot him at his local skatepark in the SF Bay Area.
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