FAA App Helps Find Safe (and Legal) Place to Fly Your Drone

(January 9, 2016) Want to know where it is safe (and legal) to fly your new drone?

The Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) now offers a smartphone app that identifies flying restrictions for you. It is currently available only for iPhones, but an android beta version is available.

The B4UFLY app is designed “to provide situational awareness” to let drone operators “know where it’s not a good idea to fly because there might be a conflict in the airspace they’re flying in,” the FAA said. The app incorporates the FAA parameters under the Special Rule for Model Aircraft in the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012. The app does not include any state or local restrictions on flying drones nor does it inform users regarding any privacy or other issues.

The app has three flying status levels—red, orange, or yellow. It does not include a green indicator. “Users should be aware that regardless of B4UFLY’s status indicator, the FAA has authority to take enforcement action against anyone who flies an unmanned aircraft, including model aircraft, carelessly or recklessly, or in a way that endangers the safety of the National Airspace System or people or other property on the ground,” the FAA said.

In December, the FAA issued requirements for the registration of recreational and hobby drones. As Balough Law Offices previously reported in an article, commercial use of drones is prohibited unless the operator has received a special permit.

The B4UFLY app is available at the AppStore. A beta version of the B4UFLY app for androids is available in Google Play store.