Arkansas House Bill 1079 - Unmanned Vehicle or Aircraft

What level is a class C misdemeanor in Arkansas.

In Texas is is punishable by fine only, with a maximum of $500 in most instances. Jail time in lieu of paying the fine would be 3 to 10 days, depending on the county or municipality.B-)

With the express consent of the person who holds the property.

Do you have trespass laws there?

I stand on the top of a hill in Arkansas and take an iphone picture of the vista (more than 6 feet) below me. According to this law I need the express written permission of every landowner in the picture or I am committing a crime.

> I stand on the top of a hill in Arkansas and take an iphone picture of the vista (more than 6 feet) below me. According to this law I need the express written permission of every landowner in the picture or I am committing a crime.

If you are holding the camera/phone a UAV is not involved and you are probably legal. However, attach the camera to a large toy balloon on a long cord, tie the cord to a fence post, take the same picture and you may not be legal. Hold the cord in your hand and you could argue it is a manned aerial vehicle. o.O Sounds like some attorneys will be making money arguing this over this law.

What if you set a camera to take a bunch of pictures, then hit the button and throw the camera into the air.

Put a camera on a RC Car. Run the car off a roof. (Saw that with an inertial unit on YouTube)

Does this affect the use of weather balloons?

With regard to survey practice - suppose you propose to fly a site with your UAV for mapping purposes. Your UAV won't be over the adjoiner's property but it will be in the field of view. Do you need their permission? And what about the adjoiners adjoiner who might get in the far background?

Further, if even one adjoiner refuses to give written permission, does that kill your project?

Many years ago, I was setting up an instrument along a roadway, when a rather stout woman that would have dressed out about 250 pounds came running out of her house screaming that I was looking through her bedroom window. I told her that surely she had to be kidding and that I was just doing my job. She said she was going back in the house and call the police. I told her to have at it that they would see just how silly she was being. I wonder if today an unintelligent legislator (I know redundant statement) would have decide that a bill needed to be created so that it was against the law to use survey equipment. If I had really been peeping at that cow through her window, I could have been arrested with the existing laws of the time (and then declared insane). It would be interesting to hear how the legislator who authored this bill thought he was protecting the public. True UAVs can be used for illegal and immoral purposes. This approach is like trying to outlaw guns to solve crime or RTK to prevent bad surveys.

Here is my take on the matter( from an old codger)

All kind of personal liability involved with fooling around with those for recreation.
Crashing it into the property of others, having it shot down by an angry nut and losing a few hndred dollars, being accused of being a peeping pervert.

It's sorta like the concealed carry thing. You think its a great idea until you find yourself in jail for using the gun on someone and being accused of manslaughter. Its happened and the fellow lost everything paying for lawyers.

There will be all kinds of law passed in every state.
Gadgerty, gadgerty

We had a guy with a GPS rover in Jacksonville, Florida that was actually put in the back seat of the police car because someone said he was "looking in windows and taking pictures."

Makes All Those Google Pictures Illegal

Not to mention all the spy satellites.

Paul in PA