AMA Safety Guidelines

[FlyMaine]

There's been much debate in this forum and elsewhere about what rules apply to recreational drone operators. As many of you know, in the USA, under the current statute, there are two sets of rules--one for licensed commercial operators and one for recreational users, and recreational users are required by statute to adhere to a "community based" organization's guidelines for safe flying. The Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA), which I believe is the only organization explicitly recognized by the FAA, has published clear and concise guidelines. So, if you plan to fly in the USA as a recreational user, you should be familiar with the AMA's guidelines. While the AMA Guidelines do not contain an explicit height limit, they do require that you not fly in a "careless or reckless" manner and one could certainly argue that flying a small drone like Spark over the 400' limit applicable to commercial operators is careless or reckless. Also, another guideline, which appears to be frequently violated in videos posted on this site, is to not fly over people, moving vehicles or occupied structures.