FAA warns drone operators against interfering with hurricane response efforts

With federal attention focused on rescue and aid efforts in the wake of Hurricane Florence, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) warns of stiff fines for any drone users operating without authorization in affected areas.

The reason for this is to keep unmanned aircraft from inadvertently — or intentionally — interfering with ongoing operations. Many response efforts are utilizing aircraft, often at low altitudes, leaving them vulnerable to obstruction. As such, the FAA notes that even if a Temporary Flight Restriction is not technically in place, drone operators may still face fines for flying.

The only way around this is to either contact the FAA’s System Operations Support Center to request a waiver or, for those already operating with an FAA Certificate of Authorization (COA), to contact the FAA to see about supporting response and recovery operations. Those efforts will be coordinated with local incident commanders for their area.