FAA 107 Privacy & Public Safety Considerations 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A commercial drone pilot is asked to photograph a competitor's manufacturing facility from public airspace. The primary ethical and legal concern is:
- FAA registration of the drone used
- Potential trade secret misappropriation and industrial espionage (Correct answer)
- Exceeding maximum payload limits
- Violation of local zoning ordinances
Correct answer: Potential trade secret misappropriation and industrial espionage
Systematically photographing a competitor's facility to capture proprietary processes or layouts can constitute trade secret misappropriation under the Defend Trade Secrets Act.
Question 2: Under FAA Remote ID rules, which public safety benefit does broadcast Remote ID provide?
- It alerts the pilot when battery is critically low
- It allows the public and law enforcement to identify the operator of a nearby drone (Correct answer)
- It automatically prevents flight into restricted airspace
- It encrypts the video feed to prevent interception
Correct answer: It allows the public and law enforcement to identify the operator of a nearby drone
Remote ID broadcasts the drone's position, altitude, velocity, and operator location so law enforcement and the public can identify and locate the operator of any drone in flight.
Question 3: A remote pilot is contracted to survey a large outdoor music festival. The contract requires hovering over the crowd for 30 minutes. Without an approved waiver, this operation is:
- Permitted if the event organizer signs a liability waiver
- Prohibited under Part 107 because it involves sustained flight over people (Correct answer)
- Allowed if the drone weighs under 0.55 lbs
- Permitted with a NOTAM filed 24 hours prior
Correct answer: Prohibited under Part 107 because it involves sustained flight over people
Part 107.39 prohibits operating over human beings not involved in the operation without a waiver or qualifying drone category approval, regardless of event organizer consent.
Question 4: Which of the following is an example of a 'categorical exclusion' that would allow flight over moving vehicles without a Part 107 waiver?
- Operating a Category 4 drone on a closed-road film set with no public access (Correct answer)
- Flying any sub-250g drone over a busy intersection
- Operating in Class G airspace below 100 ft AGL
- Filming from inside a vehicle moving on a highway
Correct answer: Operating a Category 4 drone on a closed-road film set with no public access
FAA waivers and category-specific approvals can include operations on closed sets where the public is excluded; a controlled environment removes the hazard to uninvolved persons.
Question 5: A remote pilot discovers that footage from a previous commercial job contains images of a private individual that were not requested by the client. Best practice is to:
- Transfer all footage to the client and let them decide
- Retain a master copy indefinitely for liability documentation
- Review and delete incidental personal images not needed for the contracted purpose (Correct answer)
- Post to social media to demonstrate the drone's capabilities
Correct answer: Review and delete incidental personal images not needed for the contracted purpose
Deleting unneeded personal data aligns with privacy best practices, reduces exposure under state privacy law, and limits potential misuse of incidentally captured personal imagery.
Question 6: A Part 107 remote pilot is asked to fly at night over a crowd at a stadium during a fireworks show. Which combination of requirements must be met?
- Anti-collision lighting and a night waiver or Part 107.29 compliance, plus a waiver for flight over people (Correct answer)
- Only anti-collision lighting visible for 3 statute miles
- NOTAM and a certified visual observer
- Authorization from stadium management and local law enforcement only
Correct answer: Anti-collision lighting and a night waiver or Part 107.29 compliance, plus a waiver for flight over people
Night operations require anti-collision lighting visible at 3 SM and compliance with 107.29, while flying over the crowd requires either a waiver or Category drone approval — both must be satisfied simultaneously.
Question 7: How does the concept of 'reasonable expectation of privacy' differ between a person in their backyard versus a person walking on a public sidewalk?
- There is no legal difference; both have full privacy protection under federal law
- Backyard occupants have a stronger privacy claim, while sidewalk users have reduced expectations due to public exposure (Correct answer)
- Sidewalk users have stronger privacy rights because they are more vulnerable to drone surveillance
- Both have identical privacy protections under Part 107
Correct answer: Backyard occupants have a stronger privacy claim, while sidewalk users have reduced expectations due to public exposure
Courts generally recognize that enclosed private spaces like backyards carry a higher reasonable expectation of privacy than public sidewalks where observation by others is expected.
FAA 107 Privacy & Public Safety Considerations 5
A commercial drone pilot is asked to photograph a competitor's manufacturing facility from public airspace.
The primary ethical and legal concern is: