What Marines need to know about operating drones

Marine Corps Base Quantico -- Drones were one of the most popular gifts this holiday season. As technology advances, they are becoming less expensive and more accessible to average aviation hobbyists. The Consumer Electronics Association estimates that approximately 2 million will be sold in the coming year.

Despite the ease with which they are acquired, operating a drone comes with responsibilities and restrictions that Marines and their families should be aware of before they start flying.

Marines should “be very careful where you are using them, because you are responsible for any damages you or your drone cause,” said James Beaulieu, base aviation operations officer.

Quantico sits at the outer edge of the Federal Aviation Administration’s Special Flight Rules Area that surrounds the National Capital Region and extends approximately 30 miles from Reagan National Airport. The FAA has strict rules about what can fly in the SFRA for security concerns and to manage the congested airspace that surrounds the Nation’s capital.

Civilian drone use is forbidden in the SFRA, which encompasses Marine Corps Base Quantico, without express authorization from the FAA.

“There are no specific base orders that permit or restrict drone usage,” Beaulieu said. “However, there is a caveat to that, because there is a restriction on using a drone five miles from an airport without permission. And then the FAA regulation states that no drone operation is allowed anywhere in Special Flight Rules Area, which is the area that extends 30 miles from the National Capital.”

The majority of Quantico falls under these two restrictions, while the rest is off limits to civilian aviation because of the military training that occurs on Quantico. These restrictions mean that no drone can be legally flown in any of the airspace above Quantico.

The FAA has been working in recent years to establish guidelines for responsible drone use that deconflict the nation’s airspace, while still allowing noncommercial users to pursue their hobby.

“There is no safe layer of air space to allow these things to fly that hasn’t interfered with some sort of airport,” Beaulieu said.

The FAA is now requiring that drones that weigh between 250 grams and 55 pounds be registered with the agency.

“Those little two-ounce ones that you see [often seen in mall kiosks], nobody is talking about those,” Beaulieu said. “You can do what you want with those, but the helicopter ones, the hovercraft ones, the fixed-wing ones, anything that is fuel operated, you have to be very careful with those things because they can cause damage if they fall out of the sky. And you’re liable for any of that stuff.”

Beaulieu also cautioned that any aircraft flying within five miles of an airport requires the permission of the air traffic controller responsible for that airspace.

“I don’t think there is any place on Mainside where you could fly and not be under the veil of the air facility here and certainly not under the veil of the Special Flight Rules Area,” Beaulieu said.

Some other basic guidelines include:
• Operators must maintain visual contact with their aircraft
• Drones must not exceed 400 feet in altitude
• Drones cannot fly over people, vehicles or personal property
• Drones cannot interfere with emergency responders

For hobbyists who are interested in flying drones there is help to ensure it is done in a safe and responsible way.

“The best place to go is the Federal Aviation Administration website. This will give you an entire page with all these links that will give you more information than you ever wanted to know about what you can and cannot do with a drone,” Beaulieu said.

The website Knowbeforeyoufly.org was also created by several aviation organizations in coordination with the FAA to help recreational users, business users and public entities learn how to share the national airspace.

Beaulieu also caution Marines to be aware of what kind of imagery they may be capturing with their drones. “If you have the kind of drone that can take pictures or video be very careful when you post that stuff on social media, because you don’t want to be capturing something you shouldn’t be capturing.”