Hong Kong-based man's legal battle may hold key to future of drones
Hong Kong-based businessman is taking on the US aviation authority over 'outdated' rules governing unmanned drone aircraft
A Hong Kong-based businessman embroiled in a landmark legal tussle for falling foul of American aviation laws says global regulations for operating unmanned model airplane-sized drones are outdated.
Raphael Pirker, 29, a Swiss-Austrian, remained defiant as he warned governments are failing to keep up with changes in technology in a multi-billion dollar industry that has allowed civilian drone operators to circumvent rules governing the skies.
Asked if he felt there was a problem with the drone community keeping up with fragmented global laws and regulations, Pirker said: “I think there is a problem with regulators keeping up with our pace of innovation. I don’t know of any country that is ahead of what we are doing.”
But Pirker’s commercial flight at the University of Virginia in 2011 upset officials at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), who said the flight was conducted “in a careless or reckless manner” prompting a US$10,000 fine on June 27 this year. The fine was the first civil penalty for a drone pilot in America.
Pirker is contesting the fine and the charges filed by aviation officials. He argues that the laws do not apply in his case because they do not exist – which could overturn existing laws governing unmanned drones.
The action is a test case for a million drone flyers worldwide and their toys, which cost around HK$15,000.