VIDEO: Following The Rules And Regulations When It Comes To Flying Drones

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI)- Flying drones is becoming a popular trend nationwide.

However, taking to the skies comes with a few requirements and restrictions.

The Golden Triangle regional Airport hosted a seminar on Tuesday to discuss the do’s and don’ts of flying unmanned aircraft.

The buzz of this drone goes beyond just its mechanical noise, just ask Richard Eairheart, he’s a licensed drone pilot for WCBI News.

“Drones are cool,” said Eairheart. “They’re really high-tech especially the way they’ve gotten smaller, more compact, and more intelligent with their programming and equipment that’s on them.”

Whether its capturing perspective images of a train that’s derailed, or a fire, Eairheart said he likes the birds-eye view he gets when flying the aircraft.

“I’ve done the studying before I start flying somewhere,” the licensed drone pilot explained. “I know exactly where I am flying, what kind of airspace it is, is it legal to fly there, is it questionable.”

Drones are some of the hottest gadgets on the market. They’re fun and useful, however, they can become unsafe if they’re not used the correct way.

“Probably the biggest misconception are people that don’t understand the rules and they fly them where they are not supposed to,” said Mike Hainsey, executive director of the GTR Airport. “They’ll fly them up high, with which all of the Air Force flying around here that could be bad.”

Flying the gadgets come with legal requirements from the Federal Aviation Administration.

A drone can’t be flown over people, and can’t be flown near another aircraft.

Hainsey also said the unmanned aircraft shouldn’t be flown around the airport.

“If you are flying commercially you have to get a drone operators certificate which is basically a pilot’s license from an aircraft,” Hainsey described. “To do that you have to study, and pass a knowledge test and keep up on things.”

All drones must be less than 55 pounds and they also must be registered.

Although you need a license to fly a drone for commercial use, one isn’t required for recreational purposes.

“Rules for recreational or what we call hobbyist flyers are the same that they’ve always been as far as go out and have fun,” said Hainsey. “You still have to stay below 400 feet which is plenty high enough because you kind of lose sight of your drone, but you go out and that’s where people get excited about flying.”

If some one gets caught flying a drone illegally or improperly they can be fined by the Federal Aviation Administration.